Stadia trials are not something Google will be offering as the service launches in November.
That doesn’t mean it won’t ever be offered at some point. In a recent interview on StadiaCast, Stadia Head of Product John Justice noted that Google plans to offer these free trials eventually.
Free Stadia trials would be offered after launch
Google plans to offer free trials of the Stadia service at some point after launch. This means anyone interested in checking it out will be able to do so without paying for it.
Not only are free trials planned, but Justice says they’re a “high priority” too. Google really wants users to give Stadia a chance, and a free trial seems to be the way it wants to hook people on the product.
They won’t show up for a few months
Justice confirms that free trials are coming, so it’s no longer a matter of if. Rather, it’s a matter of when.
According to Justice, it’ll be a few months after the launch of Stadia. This means they could arrive as early as February 2020. That may or may not be before the launch of Stadia Base, which is Stadia’s free subscription option.
Right now all Google has confirmed is that ‘Base’ will be launching in 2020, but it hasn’t said exactly when. It seems likely though that it would launch around the same time as these free trials.
Perhaps even after the trials to give people the ability to see what Stadia Pro is like before choosing the “free” option instead.
There could be software trials for existing customers too
Free trials for Stadia aren’t the only thing being kicked around apparently.
Justice also mentions that the Stadia team has been looking at giving game/software trials to existing subscribers. He doesn’t mention any specifics, but this could be a perfect launch pad for something like Uplay+, Ubisoft’s streaming service.
Earlier this year Ubisoft announced Uplay+ and that it would be coming to Stadia in 2020. It’ll cost extra on top of Stadia Pro. And, while some consumers might not be against paying the additional money, a free trial could be a good way to entice those who are still on the fence. Or who may never have considered it in the first place.
Free trials are a common practice for companies with subscription services. Google even offers them for some of its other products like YouTube Premium, so offering them for Stadia seems like a no-brainer.
As Stadia gets closer to launch, Google may even share an exact date of when trials will arrive.