Many were caught off guard by the shutdown of the gaming platform “Google Stadia”. But hardly any player as hard as the YouTuber “ItsColourTV”, as he lives in Rockstar’s fantastic game “Red Dead Redemption 2” practically a second life: He has spent 5,900 hours in Red Dead Online. But this virtual life could abruptly head into the eternal cowboy heaven.
This was the news of the week:
- Google wanted to create a competitor to PS5 and Xbox Series X with the Stadia platform that doesn’t require expensive gaming hardware. Players could play on a smart TV or a weak laptop without a console or gaming PC, and didn’t have to download games and patches, but could stream everything.
- Google invested a lot of money and resources into the platform, wanting to build studios and release their own titles.
- But the platform failed to establish itself in the market. The idea fell flat with core gamers, and most casual gamers probably still do not know what Google Stadia is. Therefore, Google has now announced the end of the service on January 18, 2023.
This player is particularly hard hit: The YouTuber “ItsColourTV” has spent 5,907 hours or 246 days with “Red Dead Online”, the online mode of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Although Red Dead Online has hardly been developed further by Rockstar, it is a great way for hardcore fans to spend “time outdoors”: Rockstar’s detailed Wild West simulation encourages simply hanging out in the sandbox of the world, enjoying the scenery, and engaging in activities there.
ItsColourTV says he spent time in Red Dead Online primarily with friends, hanging out with them and getting into a lot of mischief.
Many would have wished for DLCs for Red Dead Redemption 2, but it never came to that:
The player emphasizes that on Stadia he even had an outstanding gaming experience.
I think Stadia had the best experience with Red Dead Online because it had dedicated servers. Everyone [on another platform] complained about animal spawns and other server-related issues, but on Stadia you hardly noticed that.
Player is now afraid of losing everything in Red Dead Redemption 2
What is the problem? Red Dead Online does not have “cross-progression”; progress is tied to Stadia. However, Rockstar currently offers no way to transfer save data from Stadia to another platform.
This is exactly what ItsColourTV is asking the manufacturer for. A single, one-time character transfer from Stadia would save his character: Otherwise, all his progress, all the items he has earned, would be gone in January 2023.
The YouTuber says it is not only about him – many are affected by the closure of Google Stadia, much like him. He not only loses his personal progress but also the connection to the friends he has built over the years.
People write to him:
- They have no other platform to play Red Dead Redemption 2, just a “crappy MacBook”.
- Another person says he probably has to buy an Xbox, repurchase Red Dead Redemption 2, and then pay a monthly subscription fee.
Will this happen? The story has at least caused quite a stir: The original tweet has now received over 5,000 likes, and many major US sites have picked up the story – maybe Rockstar will eventually relent.
For some players, Red Dead Redemption 2 is the fulfillment of all their dreams:
65-year-old has completed RDR 2 30 times, still doesn’t want to play anything else
