Google Stadia opens new studio in Playa Vista to develop exclusive games
Headed by Sony Santa Monica's Shannon Studstill
Exciting news today for all you Google Stadia fans out there. Google has now opened a new studio in Playa Vista, California headed by Sony Santa Monica's old boss, Shannon Studstill. The announcement arrived today in a post written by Jade Raymond, VP and Head of Stadia Games and Entertainment.
The Playa Vista studio will focus on delivering exclusives, "using new gameplay mechanics, creative ways to play together and unique interaction models".
Nothing has been announced regarding the games in development at the studio, but it's obviously still very early days. "Rest assured we are listening to what gamers want and adding our own Stadia twists to create new IP and experiences".
Raymond describes Studstill as a "visionary who, as the Studio Director, will lead and inspire the Playa Vista teams". Studstill is perhaps best known for her work with Sony Santa Monica, where she recently produced the award-winning God of War.?New studio unlocked?We've opened a brand new games studio in Playa Vista. The team will be focused on delivering exclusive games with our own special twists for new IPs and experiences. Check out our blog for more details → https://t.co/J1WM5UTJP7 — Stadia (@GoogleStadia) March 4, 2020
Stadia's Montreal studio opened late last year. That one's also focused on putting out exclusives. As much as we like seeing games hit every platform possible, it's clear that the likes of Google and Sony still see an incredible amount of value in putting out exclusive titles.
Personally, a couple of top-tier exclusives might be enough to get me interested in the platform. That said, there are few developers out there with the funding required to make, say, a God of War or The Last of Us, so it'll be interesting to see whether Stadia's studios can compete.
Searching for the best games of tomorrow? Here are 53 quality titles in soft launch