The Quarry and High on Life ‘were originally Google Stadia games’

Google was originally behind two games in the public eye this month, it’s been claimed.

Supermassive’s The Quarry, which was released this month and published by 2K, and High on Life, the title from “Rick and Morty” co-creator Justin Roiland revealed during a recent Xbox showcase, both started life as Stadia exclusives, according to Axios.

According to two sources speaking to the publication, both titles were at one point signed with Google before its decision to downsize its internal games business meant they were forced to find another publisher.

Supermassive Games “was looking for a publishing partner as the project came to completion,” a rep for Take-Two told Axios.

A spokesperson for High on Life developer Squanch declined to offer comment beyond the game’s targeted platforms.

Google announced it had signed an unannounced game from Until Dawn developer Supermassive back in July 2020, but the game was never shown.

Last year Google decided to close all its internal game development teams in order to focus on partnering with third-party studios.

The decision was followed by several high-profile departures. They included former Stadia games boss Jade Raymond, who left to form a new studio called Haven, which is now owned by PlayStation and has since hired multiple former Stadia employees.

Questioned last summer during the ongoing Epic vs Apple court case, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said the Google Stadia service has been “significantly cut back”, as he understands it.

More recently, Business Insider claimed that Google has quietly deprioritised Stadia, and is exploring new ways to integrate its streaming tech into other areas of its business.