GOOGLE SHUTS STADIA VIDEO GAME STUDIOS IN MONTREAL, L.A.

Alphabet Inc.'s Google “will not be investing further in bringing exclusive content from our internal development team (Stadia Games & Entertainment), beyond any near-term planned games,” vice-president Phil Harrison wrote in a blog post published Monday. Closing the Montreal and Los Angeles studios will affect 150 developers, a source told the video game website Kotaku. Jade Raymond is among those leaving the game-streaming service. The Montreal-based executive joined from Electronic Arts, where she oversaw Star Wars games, and previously worked at Ubisoft, where her credits included Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell. In October 2019, she said the studios would focus on creating “games that wouldn’t be possible on any other platform.” Google said it plans to keep adding third-party titles to Stadia. Google now hopes to start licensing its technology to other game publishers.