Stadia connect starts off with none other than Phil Harrison, himself, a man who has been M-I since November. And I personally was starting to worry about his whereabouts. Is I’ve never seen a man disappear so well. And he lets us know that the existing pro users do indeed get an extended two months while new users get two months to try the pro service. He then talks about new users who are looking to purchase stadia and the benefits you get and explains the service.
But the biggest thing he came out with and the question we’ve all been asking is where the heck is the eh? And on cue, we find out that E.A. is bringing five titles to stadia. He didn’t mention if all five titles were coming in 2020, but that the three titles that are coming are starting with DJed. I fall in order, coming in the fall and FIFA and Madden following right behind that. Now, Fevola and man are actually looking to be winter titles. Not to say I was excited about all this would be a massive understatement, as I was really hoping that one of the EAA titles would be fall in order.
But then the C FIFA as well as men in the mix, definitely lit up my eyes. All triple-A titles, not including the other two unannounced games, made me feel good about the partnership that Stadia has with E.A. now going forward. And honestly, the only thing that I could really complain about is that jet I fall in order is releasing in the fall instead of a more current date. But I don’t want to sound too entitled as frankly, I’m personally overjoyed to see these titles coming to stadia.
Then we cut to a cue to Aaron Hoffman, John, who lets us know about a stealth draft that none of us really saw coming period. And that was October Path Traveler already now released on these stadiums store. I won’t go into too much detail, but this is a game that isn’t even a year old yet. And while it isn’t pushing stadia to its hardware limits, it’s a fantastic Jay RPG that I’ve enjoyed that is also rated extremely well by a lot of users. But the price at fifty nine ninety nine makes it for a hard pill to swallow, considering there is brand new titles on the service now. But some of the bigger news in this connect was Aaron letting us know what the may stada of pro games will be.
And I have to say I’m impressed. Would be an understatement. Starting with the biggest title of the three, and that is Zombie Army for a game that is only three months old. From the makers of the Sniper Elite series, a game in which you’ll be blasting zombies solo or cooperatively with other players. It’s an absolute solid game for stadia followed by the Turing Test and Steam World Heist.
Another two solid additional indie titles that actually change up the genre. As with puzzles and a strategy, Assadi is a platform full of shooters and racers and action games. So, in my opinion, Stadia has definitely formed a strategy with all the games that are being listed for pro, making sure there is a title there for everyone to enjoy and incentivise them to keep the pro membership. And I think they nailed it. And I really do think they really hit this one out of the park.
And then we finally found some of these time exclusive titles that have been missing because we were told back in January that 10 first on stadium titles will be releasing in the first half of the year. And while this titled to me was a very, very strange one, to say the least, and that game is creator, it built itself as a collaborative game creation and publishing platform that will launch in the summer of 2020 as a timed exclusive on stadia, doing some digging to gather more information about this strange game.
It says novice players can create and publish multiplayer games in a matter of minutes without code or specialized skills, and that creators will also have the potential to earn money within creative. From day one via a monthly prize. Fun. Now, at first glance, this does look like some form of a fortnight Minecraft combo that you can join in with friends.
But it looks as though this game’s all about building and I guess creating games within the world. Ultimately, this looks like a title that is wonderful for those with imagination and creativity. Two things that I don’t possess. Whatsoever. So this is definitely not my jam. And I can see why it’s going to be a free pro game. Summer, but it will be interesting to see what you guys will create and what you guys think of this title. And then the next exclusive title that was announced is Wave Break.
Another unique game that has this cool mix of snowboarding, skateboarding, but are riding waves as well. It’s definitely an indie game that is featuring online and local multiplayer, competitive game modes and a single player story campaign. Obviously not the most exciting title, but another nice change of pace for an indie. And I’m happy to have seen this pop up exclusively for stadia. And the next title announced on this Stadia Connect was Ember a game about you being a firefighter and rescuing people solo or with friends.
It’s a slapstick comedy game that is meant to be goofy and funny and one that I did cover by playing the demo. I think quite a few of you will enjoy this indie by curved digital as they are an excellent publisher who typically backs fun games and speaking on indie titles. The prediction that most had came true with Get Packed finally releasing on IDEA as a shadow drop on the stadium store, a title that frankly just uses with crazy fun gameplay. This is the epitome of a couch or online co-op game that is just meant for wild and wacky fun to be had.
The game did release said nineteen ninety nine, a 10 price higher than I would have guessed as I was predicting around fifteen bucks. But a title that does get my full recommendation. And then last but not least, arguably the biggest news that came out of this connect was player unknown battlegrounds, otherwise known as PubG and well, it’s free vau stadium pro users, a game that requires a buy in on all other game systems NPC. But it’s completely free here on stadia.
Not only that, but it features full cross play with console players. A change of pace from titles like Division to That only has cross play with P C players. So Stadio once again showing its full diversification. Being able to cross play with both PCN consoles. Now we all wondered if a battle royale would make its way to stadia.
And this title would have easily been the last guess on my list. But I’ve gotten to play it now and it’s a solid addition. And welcome to the service. A Battle Royale game with quick in and out game play and a small learning curve and the fact that is free to pro users. That only breathes life into a game that I think only really hardcore players were left. But give stadiums something different and a change of pace as a competitive shooter on this platform, which I think, in my opinion is currently missing. And the last thing that was announced is a another stadium connect will be happening in the summer. And that just tells me that stadium is looking to continue the hype on a consistent basis and be a relevant player.
They also teased Orcs Must Die. Three at the very end and possibly maybe a summer release. But, man, there really was a lot to get excited for with this connect. While I still feel in general, there is a lack of games and Phil did mention one hundred titles to come in 2020, which I’ve stated before. We’ve only got a handful of those titles and really no new features were announced in this video. But either way, I was pleased and he did reiterate that they are still targeting those 100 games this year and the lists of games is starting to add up as they are revealing new games each week.
Overall, though, while there are some things that we’re missing from this connect that I’m sure we would have all liked to have seen in some form or fashion. I do have to say they did enough for me personally to get me excited for the short term. I think I would have been more disappointed if they didn’t mention the fact that they plan to have another connect in the summer to showcase more games.
The biggest thing I was hoping for was for a teaser for one of the exclusive titles that they were working on. And while that didn’t happen, and understandably so, considering it’s still pretty early, I feel confident in saying we might see that come this summer. Honestly, Google won’t be able to please everyone, but I feel the biggest take away from this connect is that there is a plan for the future. And it just once again reminded me that this service is in good hands, at least for now.