Google Stadia: Last-minute update adds 10 more games before launch, amid criticism

Shortly before the service goes live, Google Stadia boss Phil Harrison confirms the addition of 10 more games to the launch lineup.

As the Google Stadia gets ready to launch on Tuesday, journalists continue to pan its shortcomings. Last week, it was revealed that the upcoming game streaming platform only had 12 games ready in time for its debut. This apparently did not sit well with early adopters who already invested in the service. This issue became the target of criticism as gamers likewise found out that only one of the titles is original, while the rest are existing ports. Thus, it is not that surprising to find out that the developers are adding 10 more to bump it up to 22 before the servers go live.

While most of the titles added at the last minute are not new, the inclusion of sports games such as "NBA 2K20" and "Football Manager 2020" notably expands the genres covered. Engadget notes the news came in the form of a tweet from Phil Harrison. According to the Stadia boss, the team held back from announcing the other games until Google and the publishers were satisfied by its performance after some testing.

Excited to announce that we are INCREASING the Day One launch line-up of titles for @GoogleStadia - we now have TWENTY TWO games launching with the platform on Tuesday. Huge thank you to our game developer and publisher partners for bringing more titles #stadia
— Phil Harrison (@MrPhilHarrison) November 18, 2019

Furthermore, those who were expecting "Destiny 2" as the only free-to-play offer on the Stadia can now look forward to "Samurai Showdown." Even though the service now boasts 22 games at launch, it still pales in comparison to Sony's PlayStation Now. Players can access over 750 titles and the recent price adjusts makes it an attractive option. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Project xCloud cloud streaming platform is also picking up the pace by promising more than 50 games

Useful reminder in the #stadia office... pic.twitter.com/SFnXQj65f6
— Phil Harrison (@MrPhilHarrison) November 8, 2019

Aside from the modest number of games going live with the Google Stadia, there are other problems that need to be resolved soon. For those who paid for the Premiere Edition (previously referred to as the Founder's Edition), shipping delays are reported, which mean some users will not get their orders in time.

That's a wrap! Stadia Founderâ€™s Edition has completely sold out. We canâ€™t wait to welcome all of our Founders to play Stadia on November 19.

Stadia Premiere Edition is now available for pre-order in all launch countries. Get yours today > https://t.co/FvgaT3vE15 pic.twitter.com/7Zo952wVDv
— Stadia (@GoogleStadia) October 22, 2019

Then there is the limited number of devices supported by the service. Right now, except for the first-generation model, it will only work on the Pixel 2 and its newer siblings. On the other hand, iOS compatibility appears to be still a long way off. A Google Stadia subscription costs $9.99 per month to stream games at 4K, 60 frames per second, and with HDR support.