Cyberpunk 2077 will be Google Stadia’s biggest test yet
Stadia is now available in eight new countries for broader reach ahead of Cyberpunk’s launch
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Cyberpunk 2077is one of the biggest launches of the year, andGoogle Stadiais taking every avenue to ensure that it will reach the maximum number of players: todayGoogleopened the service to eight new European countries ahead of the game’s worldwide launch on December 10.
The list of new countries to support Stadia include Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Switzerland where gamers will be able to sign up and get registered now before the game hits virtual stands.
Google recently made the service free to use for everyone – and has even made some games available to play for free like Destiny 2 – but most games will need to be purchased a la carte if you don’t subscribe to Google Stadia Pro.
To attract even more players to Stadia at launch, Google announced a special deal for gamers who pre-order Cyberpunk 2077 on Stadia that hooks them up with a single Stadia controller, a Chromecast Ultra and a one-month trial to Stadia Pro. Considering that package cost $99 at launch in the US, getting it at $60 (the price of Cyberpunk 2077) is actually a pretty good deal.(Not in the US? Scroll down for the best Google Stadia deals in your region.)
Stadia’s next big test
While this may just look like another game launch on Stadia, it’s really one of the biggest tests the service has been put through over its one-year lifespan – this is a hotly anticipated game that’s supposed to launch on Stadia the same day as it launches on PlayStation and Xbox.
If it all goes off without a hitch – and it attracts new gamers to Google’s game platform – Stadia could retain its relevance into the next year. If this game doesn’t generate much interest, however, then it’s further proof that gamers would rather stay with the platforms they know and trust – even if that means long download times - than take a chance on Google’s game-streaming service.
Google’s Stadia bundle offer is one good way to get gamers in the door – and it will be around until at least December 17, 2020 – but only time will tell if gamers will bite.
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Nick Pino is Managing Editor, TV and AV for TechRadar’s sister site, Tom’s Guide. Previously, he was the Senior Editor of Home Entertainment at TechRadar, covering TVs, headphones, speakers, video games, VR and streaming devices. He’s also written for GamesRadar+, Official Xbox Magazine, PC Gamer and other outlets over the last decade, and he has a degree in computer science he’s not using if anyone wants it.
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