Google pinches God of War studio head to lead new Stadia studio Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Google pinches God of War studio head to lead new Stadia studio Oh boy. News by Robert Purchese Senior Staff Writer Updated on 5 Mar 2020 82 comments The Stadia launch was wobbly but Google isn't giving up on the stream-dream just yet. It's opened a second game development studio down in Playa Vista, LA, and hired former God of War studio head Shannon Studstill to run it. "I've been a fan of Shannon's for a long time," said Stadia Games boss Jade Raymond, "and have admired her award-winning work leading Sony's Santa Monica Studio and the industry defining franchises like God of War that have won fans all over the world. "She has an extensive background in product development and creative leadership, but most importantly, she's a visionary who, as the studio director, will lead and inspire the Playa Vista teams. We're thrilled to welcome her to the Stadia family!" The new Playa Vista studio will focus on "delivering exclusive games" with "new gameplay mechanics, creative ways to play together and unique interaction models", whatever that means. Sony Santa Monica, remember, housed and incubated a number of smaller teams alongside the mammoth God of War team. Teams that made games like Unfinished Swan, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture and, of course, Journey. And Raymond's mention of "Playa Vista's teams" suggests Studstill may lead a similar venture for Stadia. "While we're not ready to share specific game plans yet," Raymond added, "rest assured we are listening to what gamers want and adding our own Stadia twists to create new IP and experiences." Watch on YouTube There is Lost Words, mind you, which looks cute and packs a wallop of a deeper meaning. It brings Stadia Games' internal game development studio-count to two. The first studio, up in Canada, in Montreal, was opened in October 2019. Google Stadia launched in November 2019 but felt like a half-baked proposition, concluded the Digital Foundry review. Most notably, Stadia lacked exclusive games. There are 10 or more Stadia timed-exclusives promised by July 2020, but we only know what a few of these will be. There is Spitlings (out now), Lost Words (out 27th march) and Stacks on Stacks (coming soon). Other exclusives include Get Packed, Orcs Must Die! 3. There's also Baldur's Gate 3, which will launch simultaneously on Steam Early Access but will have some Stadia-exclusive features. Filling Shannon Studstill's shoes at Sony Santa Monica will be Yumi Yang, a 19-year veteran of PlayStation, who spent almost all of those years (from what I can see) at Sony Santa Monica. She rises from the role of director of product development. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 11 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 4 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store