Google Stadia Might Be The Best Way to Play Cyberpunk
Despite the economic challenges of the global pandemic, the video game industry remains strong. Global sales will likely surpass $160 billion in 2020, and U.S. sales should reach $50 billion by the end of December. While both statistics represent double-digit percentage increases over last year, not all companies are reaping the benefits. One particular technology giant continues to struggle; however, polish developer CD Projekt Red might have released a golden parachute. Revealed last week via Twitter, Cyberpunk 2077 will release on November 19th for Google Stadia. Should fans be excited? Let’s dive in.
A Continuous Struggle
When first revealed at GDC 2019, Google Stadia promised to unlock the potential of every development studio. No longer bound by hardware restrictions, developers could finally unleash the full spectrum of creativity and produce unprecedented titles. While the power of the Internet theoretically validated Google’s statement, the video game industry has not shifted to cloud-based gaming.
In reality, Google is struggling to build a following and entice developers to launch games on its platform. Stadia did not reach one million players until nearly six months after launch, and the daily player count on service games, such as Destiny 2, is routinely under 10,000. Not even Google’s offer of two free months of Stadia Pro was enough to entice players. The cloud-based gaming service needed a game changer, and CD Projekt Red might just be the savior.
A High-Tech, Low-Life Option
Cyberpunk 2077 has had a fair share of development challenges. Rumors circled that CD Projekt Red had until January 2020 to polish the game; however, the company failed to reach that key milestone. Instead of releasing a broken game, CD Projekt Red initially delayed Cyberpunk 2077 until September, and a few months later the Polish developer pushed the launch date back to November. Finally, studio lead Adam Badowski announced six weeks of mandatory crunch.
These last six weeks are our final sprint on a project we’ve all spend much of our lives on. Something we care for deeply. The majority of the team understands that push, especially in light of the fact that we’ve just sent the game to cert and every day brings us visibly closer to shipping a game we want to be proud of. This is one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make, but everyone is well compensated for every extra hour they put in.
Adam Badowski via Twitter
Simply put, the community is wondering if the game needs polish. Even more concerning is the limitation of current generation hardware. The Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro are no longer generational powerhouses. High action games, such as Bloodborne and Control, have performance issues on consoles, and Cyberpunk 2077 is not releasing for PS5 and Xbox Series X until 2021. If only another option existed.
Enter Google Stadia. Although most players do not have active Stadia accounts, Google’s online streaming service could be the best way to play Cyberpunk 2077 at launch. So long as gamers have Internet speeds of 25Mbps, Cyberpunk 2077 should run at a stable 1080p and 60fps. Cyberpunk is currently available for a pre-order of $59.99 on Stadia.
Conclusion
CD Projekt Red and Google Stadia are two companies that need each other. CD Projekt Red needs Cyberpunk 2077 to perform well, and Google Stadia needs more players. With the limited availability of next-generation hardware this holiday season, both companies could benefit from Cyberpunk 2077 running well on Google Stadia. The only question is whether console players are willing to make the transition to cloud-based gaming to play Cyberpunk 2077. If the game does not perform well on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, Google Stadia could be the most viable option at launch.
But we want to know what you think. Do you think Cyberpunk 2077 will perform well on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One? Are players smart to consider buying Cyberpunk 2077 for Google Stadia? Let us know in the comments below and the social media links on the right. Also, be sure to check out our other news items on Pokemon, Modern Warfare, Capcom, Blizzard and more.
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