Google has onlyconfirmed a handful of games for Google Stadia, the game-streaming platform that it announced at GDC 2019 last week. However, the tech giant is planning to expand that list in a big way and is confirmed to be in talks with some of the biggest games publishers around.
In an interview,Final Fantasy 14game director Naoki Yoshida hinted that the popular MMORPG could come to Google Stadia. When discussing plans to bring the game to Nintendo and Xbox platforms, Yoshida confirmed that talks are underway with Nintendo, Microsoft - and Google. Although Google is also in charge of the Android platform, it seems highly unlikely that theFinal Fantasy 14development team will be bringing the game to mobile devices and so it’s probable that Yoshida was referring to Stadia.
Google Stadia also fits the cross-platform play requirement set by theFinal Fantasy 14team as Google has confirmed that Stadia supports cross-play. Google has yet to offer up full details about this - whether it means cross-play across Stadia-supported devices or if it means Stadia devices to non-Stadia systems - but it may still fit the bill.
What may be a hurdle, however, isFinal Fantasy 14’s pricing. The Square Enix MMO has its own monthly subscription and some will wonder whether that will be waived for Google Stadia users. If Stadia users have to pay for their Stadia subscriptions as well as theirFinal Fantasy 14subscriptions then playing the game could prove to be very expensive.
While nothing is set in stone, for now, it should be seen as a positive that Google is pursuing so many different types of games for its streaming service. A shooter and an open-world action adventure have been confirmed, a1000-player battle royale gamehas been teased and now Google’s in talks to add a major MMO. It could mean that there is a huge variety in the Stadia games library.
Final Fantasy 14is available on PC and PS4.
