CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Gaming was the go-to for so many people during the COVID-19 lockdowns.
People who never were into gaming before the pandemic, all of a sudden wanted to play, which made sense. Those who were bored in the house with nothing to do could fill that void with gaming.
Fast forward a few years, and now gaming companies are facing a slowdown in demand. Not only are more people getting back to their pre-pandemic lives, but inflation is also causing some consumers to cut back their spending on entertainment.
That's one of the reasons Google said it is shutting down its Stadia gaming service after nearly three years. Apparently, the cloud gaming service failed to attract enough interest to keep going. And after Google stopped in-house development back in 2021, there were hints this shutdown was happening anyway.
For those diehard Stadia gamers, there’s some good news and some bad news, however.
The good news is consumers will be able to get their money back. Google said it will refund all purchases made through the Google and Stadia stores as a result of the shutdown.
The bad news is Google isn’t wasting any time shutting down the platform. The service will remain live for players until Jan. 18, but then it will no longer be available.
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.
Contact Carolyn Bruck at cbruck@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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