Google's latest Stadia game studio will be run by a 'God of War' veteran

Google is opening another Stadia studio to create originals for its game streaming service, and it's once again tapping big-name talent to boost its chances of success. The company is adding a team in Playa Vista, California that will be run by Shannon Studstill, the former head of God of War developer SIE Santa Monica Studio -- not far away, we'd add.

There are no mentions of what Playa Vista will work on, but the focus will remain the same as it is for Stadia as a whole. Google wants games that take advantage of streaming for gameplay mechanics, not just carbon copies of the games you can already buy elsewhere.

The challenge, as before, is the health of Stadia itself. While it's still early days, the service is struggling with few games, yet-to-ship features and modest device support. Google will have to make sure there's an audience for Playa Vista's work -- the developer might not last long if there's only a limited number of players when its first game is ready.