Another Stadia exclusive makes it to the lifeboat

A surfer glides across a flat ocean and towards a pink sunset
(Image credit: Thunderful Games)

Google Stadia exclusive Wavetale is coming to PC and consoles later this month.

Confirmation came by way of indie collective, Wholesome Games, which confirmed that the 3D platformer was heading to Steam on December 12, 2022.

"Previously a Google Stadia exclusive, Wavetale is coming to PC and consoles [in December]," Wholesome Games tweeted. "I'm a sucker for lighter action-adventure games like this with puzzles and exploration, plus the colorful, cel-shaded visuals are *chef's kiss*."

The move to save Wavetale and port it to other platforms follows similar pledges from other developers like Ubisoft - which has confirmed that it is "working" to help Stadia players "bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect" - and Bethesda and ZeniMax Online, which have also arranged for The Elder Scrolls Online Stadia players to transfer their progress to PC.

Yes, Google Stadia is officially shutting down, with refunds now being offered to all customers who bought Stadia equipment and games through the Google store.

The company announced Stadia's closure at the beginning of November, confirming that the service will stay live until January 18, 2023, for players to "complete final play sessions", with refunds for purchases of hardware and software alike expected to go out mid-January.

"A few years ago, we also launched a consumer gaming service, Stadia,"  Stadia VP and GM Phil Harrison wrote at the time. "And while Stadia's approach to streaming games for consumers was built on a strong technology foundation, it hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected so we’ve made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service."

Rumors circulated back in July that Google was planning to shutter its foray into video game streaming, but the company assured no such plans were in place, promising "more great games" to come.

Head over to our Google Stadia shutting down explained guide if you have any further questions about the particulars of Google's move. 

Vikki Blake
Weekend Reporter, 12DOVE

Vikki Blake is 12DOVE's Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.