Google acquires indie game developer Typhoon to bolster Stadia

It’s no secret that Google’s Stadia game streaming service has largely fallen flat with gamers and critics alike. However, the search giant remains committed to making Stadia work. To that end, Google recently acquired an indie game studio to work with the Stadia team.

Typhoon, the studio behind the upcoming indie title Journey to the Savage Planet, will officially operate under Stadia Games and Entertainment, Google’s branch for Stadia. The acquisition, which was announced yesterday, will see the untested studio join the Stadia team in Montreal.

While Typhoon’s co-founders (Reid Schneider, Yassine Riahi, and Alex Hutchinson) have some experience in the gaming industry, the studio has yet to release a single title. Journey to the Savage Planet will be Typhoon’s first release when it lands on January 28, 2020. While there are no exact details on what Typhoon will be doing for or under Stadia, it’s possible Google bought the studio to develop exclusive titles for Stadia to attract new subscribers.

This acquisition is another step in what seems to be a growing trend of major data-oriented companies buying up companies in the gaming industry. Facebook recently announced its acquisition of PlayGiga, a Madrid-based startup that has helped telecoms build out gaming-as-a-service platforms to be used on 5G networks.