Why it matters: Google Stadia is yet to prove itself when it launches in November this year but it looks like the company has got plenty of interested developers, over 4,000 of them in fact, who'd like to be part of its Stadia Partners program and can give the platform the initial boost it needs.
In an update last week, Google put out some more details on how its Stadia game streaming service will operate, and while the company is relying on ISPs to offer better data plans and for consumers to pay full price on top of their subscriptions, it looks like the platform has been able to garner interest from a considerable number of developers, who can potentially lead Stadia into a competitive platform of choice for gamers.
"We've had more than 4,000 companies apply for access to Stadia and every single one of them is reviewed by a human," Stadia's Technical Account Manager Sam Corcoran said at the Develop:Brighton 2019 conference, adding that "someone is reading, so put some thought into that application," hinting towards the curation process in place for Stadia's library of games.
Corcoran also advised developers to think on the access that Stadia provides, enabling people to play across different devices. "Think about if that does anything particular for your game. If access from any device has an impact on the design of your game. And also, what new opportunities are out there thanks to that ease of access."
Google has an application process in place (still open to developers) for its Stadia Partners program, which Corcoran says is set up so that Google can "tailor-make a support plan that will work for your title and fit with the rest of our portfolio."
He also highlighted the importance of the program as the "most immediate opportunity" for developers to pitch their game to Google. "We're always looking for new games and pitches, so we absolutely do want to talk to any of you who are interested."