Splash Damage has confirmed that the multiplayer game Outcasters, as well as Google Stadia, will be discontinued. Many people were surprised to learn that Google would’ve been shutting down its own Stadia cloud gaming service, despite Google’s previous promises to keep the service running. Stadia developers were likely most surprised, given how heavily they rely on the platform. Probably the most poignant example is Splash Damage and Outcasts.
Outcasts first appeared on December 3, 2020. It was a free-to-play multiplayer event center combat game with up to 8 players per match. Most importantly, Outcasters is only available on the Stadia platform. Before the release of Outcasters, Google announced a collaboration with Splash Damage. At the time, Splash Damage CEO Richard Jolly stated that the team’s game designs as well as features would “take advantage of everything Stadia has had to offer.” Unfortunately, it is this effort that will deprive Outcasters of its entire availability.
Splash Damage confirmed via the official Outcasters Twitter account that the development team has no intentions to “bring Outcasters to other platforms.” Outcasts would then effectively be shut down because Stadia is the sole platform on which it is available. Splash Damage did not port Outcasters because it was designed specifically for Stadia’s unique systems, to make the game too complex to adapt to other platforms.
The statement concludes by thanking all Stadia users who participated in Outcasts. Splash Damage also tries to explain that it still supports cloud gaming, even though Stadia did not go as planned. Splash Damage believes that cloud gaming can make game access easier than ever before, and it is “encouraged” that the other cloud platforms will continue to fulfill that promise.
While the news that Outcasters will be shut down is disappointing, Splash Damage is indeed a resourceful veteran team with other projects that will likely carry it into the future. Splash Damage worked extensively on the Gears of War franchise between 2015 and 2020, including the creation of Gears Tactics. A new Splash Damage sci-fi game also was confirmed for 2021, as one of several projects being worked on in the studio.
Splash Damage does not specify when Outcasters will be turned off. Google has confirmed that Stadia will be shut down on January 18, 2023, and as such Outcasters may continue until then. Outcasts may be closed down before then if Splash Damage does not see the value in remaining on the platform.
Outcasts is not the only Stadia-exclusive game, with Gilt and Pixeljunk Raiders also available, but hopefully, it’s the only one that can’t find a new home. Outcasts are now available on Stadia.
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