Google Stadia "Is Not Netflix For Games," Company Insists

Google Stadia launches in just a few months, but there remain some questions about exactly how it will work and what role it's looking to serve. In an attempt to clarify people's questions, Stadia's product director, Andrey Doronichev, held a Reddit Q&A in which he sought to distance the platform from comparisons to Netflix, which has often been cited by some.

"To be clear, Stadia Pro is not 'Netflix for games' like some people have mentioned," Doronichev explained. "A closer comparison would be like Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus. The Pro subscribers get 4K/HDR streaming, 5.1 sound, exclusive discounts and access to some free games. Roughly one free game per month, give or take. Starting with Destiny 2 (yay!)."

Stadia Pro is the premium subscription service that Stadia users can subscribe to if they wish. It gets you everything listed by Doronichev above, but Stadia Pro subscribers will still have to pay full price for additional games beyond those offered for free, despite a Pro membership already costing $10 / £9 per month--coincidentally the same price as a Netflix Premium subscription in the UK.

Stadia Pro will be launching as part of the Stadia Founder's Edition, which is currently scheduled to release in November 2019. The premium subscription will be the only way to play Stadia at first, but not forever: a separate Stadia Base service will launch in 2020. Base will be free, but you'll miss out on the free monthly game and resolution and sound quality will be slightly diminished, to a maximum of 1080p and stereo sound.

Elsewhere in the Reddit thread, Doronichev addressed what would happen to your games if Stadia were to shut down. For more details on the streaming service, check out everything we know about its Stadia's pricing, release date, and game lineup.