Rockstar Games deliberately removed "GTA 5" from the GeForce Now service of Nvidia. The most recent move from the game developer has attracted a lot of speculations. One of these is the possibility that "Grand Theft Auto 5" will soon exclusively stream on Google Stadia.
Rockstar Games' cowboy-themed game "Red Dead Redemption 2" will soon exclusively stream on Google Stadia. This is, by far, the most logical explanation and reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the game developer's recent decision on "GTA 5." While there could be other rational explanations behind this, none would be more pleasing.
Google named Rockstar Games as the launch publisher of Google Stadia. However, just like EA and Capcom, the game developer has yet to reveal which games it is going to bring to Stadia at launch. "Grand Theft Auto 5" could join "Red Dead Redemption 2" releasing on Google's streaming service.
The speculation surrounding the removal of "GTA 5" from Nvidia's GeForce Now and the implications of the game's disappearance is being discussed on Resetera. The general consensus is that Rockstar Games will have streaming exclusivity on Google Stadia. Other Rockstar titles like "Episodes From Liberty City," "Bully," and "Grand Theft Auto IV" are no longer accessible through Nvidia's GeForce Now.
These games are not particularly GFN titles. However, even going through Steam for instance or playing the games from your own account through the PC app is not allowed. You will only get the error message saying that the game is not supported.
PCGamesn reported that during this year's GDC, they were able to talk to Phil Harrison of Google. According to the report, Harrison was at pains when he said that exclusivity was not something the search engine giant is going after. The interview happened during the time when the gaming community was indifferent about Epic Game Store exclusive.
Harrison also shared that Google Stadia will not require that the titles are exclusive on its platform. This means that some games will still be available on other gaming platforms as is. It is possible that Google is willing to talk about streaming exclusivity with a game publisher as big as Rockstar Games with games as popular as "GTA 5."
While the games can remain on Steam for local players, it is highly likely that the search engine giant wants to own the cloud. But, I bet, gamers will not mind if this is one of the prices they have to pay to be able to play "Red Dead Redemption 2" on PC.
