Former Head of Santa Monica Joins Google Stadia Team as Head of New Studio

Shannon Studstill will head Google Stadia's second studio in Playa Vista, California

News by Grayshadow on  Mar 04, 2020

Santa Monica is notorious for the God of War games. Today, the former head of the studio, Shannon Studstill, will head Google Stadia's new second studio in Playa Vista, California.

NoobFeed,Shannon Studstill,

VP and Head of Stadia Games and Entertainment Jade Raymond confirmed the news in an official blog post.

Stadia Games and Entertainment is setting out to change the way we play, enjoy, and create video games. With Stadia, the creative possibilities are limitless. But we can’t build those experiences without a talented team of game designers, artists, and storytellers. We started that journey with the opening of Stadia’s first original games studio in Montreal late last year. Today, we’re adding a new Stadia Games and Entertainment studio in Playa Vista, California, which will be led by an industry veteran, Shannon Studstill.

The new Playa Vista studio will focus on delivering exclusive games, using new gameplay mechanics, creative ways to play together, and unique interaction models that we’re just starting to explore. While we’re not ready to share specific game plans yet, rest assured we are listening to what gamers want and adding our own Stadia twists to create new IPs and experiences.

I’ve been a fan of Shannon’s for a long time 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!

Stadia is designed to be the one destination for all the ways we play. It’s key to bring on talent that not only has success in delivering the industry’s best content but also has creative ideas around how to embrace this new and unique way to create. 

Building a world-class studio piece-by-piece is a unique opportunity that you don't often get in the game industry. And we want to do it with you. 

Currently, Google Stadia's reception is low. Many gamers have reported that the cloud gaming service is overly expensive due to the high internet demands and the lack of a streaming experience. The marketing material advertised games running slower or at lower performance than competitors, costing more, and Indie developers are not interested in developing for the platform.

Google could make a recovery, but with GeForce Now available and Project XCloud on the horizon, Google has some steep competition.

Adam Siddiqui

Contributor, NoobFeed

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