Hi, In brief: refunding money spent on Stadia games through Google Play to a Google Play balance is not a functional refund. Stadia owners took a leap of faith in Google and this new system. Early ...
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Hi, In brief: refunding money spent on Stadia games through Google Play to a Google Play balance is not a functional refund. Stadia owners took a leap of faith in Google and this new system. Early on, Stadia promised that, if you purchased a game through Stadia, you would be able to play it, even if there were issues with publishing rights or other snafus. This seemed intended to reassure gamers that purchasing games to stream wasnt any more risky than buying physical copies. And the prices for these streamable games were virtually the same as a hard copy purchased for PC or other platform, further creating a link that Stadia game purchases were as stable as cartridges, discs, or downloads. I was sad to hear about the end of Stadia; it was a great solution for me. I had hours that it would be around for some time, and though I was aware there was some risk, I trusted Google enough to make things right if the worst case occurred. So when I heard about the refunds, I felt vindicated. See, Google is good enough to not leave us Stadia pioneers hanging. They care about our trust. And, I'm glad to report that the credit card-based purchases I made (for two Stadia Controllers) were processed without hassle. However, I now also have nearly $300 is Google Play store credit. This is unacceptable. Even if there were $300 worth of apps and media I wanted to purchase—I don't have storage enough on my Pixel for that many apps...and if I buy media, what if Google Play shuts down? There was this idea that if I purchased a title on Stadia, it would be available to play for awhile. Google Play balances don't accomplish this. Something like a Steam key or a GameStop credit might, I suppose. However those are not Google affiliates, and that sort of deal would likely be hard to create. But—why I can't use this credit through the regular Google Store baffles me. If I can't play the games I purchased for Stadia, at least I could roll that credit towards something Google-related that I could use. I could upgrade my old, failing Pixel...or even pay off some of my Google Fi balance. (And now I'm also thinking...maybe I should get out of Google Fi?) I think Google and Stadia owe its customers more than Play store balances. And I think it's reasonable for us to ask for that. I want to support Google's ongoing projects like Stadia (and Pixel and Fi)...but not if they end like this.