Last week, BT in the UK became the first European distribution partner for Stadia. A similar partnership is now happening stateside with Google and Verizon announcing that new Fios subscribers will receive Stadia Premiere Edition for free.
Starting on January 29th, Fios Gigabit customers will be eligible for Stadia Premiere Edition. The $129 value includes a Clearly White Stadia Controller, Chromecast Ultra, and three-months of Stadia Pro, which currently includes five free games.
After that period, the service costs $9.99 every month, but a free Base tier is expected later this year. The bundle is geared for playing on a television, but Pixel owners can also game on phones and only Chrome is needed to play on desktop computers.
“Google working with Verizon to deliver incredible cloud gaming experiences is a great step forward for the industry,” said Brennan Mullin, vice president, Devices and Services Partnerships, Google. “Verizon’s commitment to delivering fast, reliable Fios internet matches perfectly with Stadia’s exciting new cloud gaming, delivering an unmatched gamer experience.”
Like the deal across the pond, ISPs get to advertise their network speeds and pitch customers on upgrading to faster plans. The streaming service needs at least a 10Mbps connection for 720p, while 4K resolution in HDR and 5.1 surround sound requires 25Mbps.
Verizon is pushing their top-tier fiber optic network with packages starting at $79.99 per month. For Google, it helps drastically expand Stadia’s retail footprint, which is currently limited to their online store.
Next Wednesday, new subscribers can visit the My Fios app to get the free Stadia bundle. The process involves a promo code that is redeemed and shipped by the Google Store. This offer does not currently extend to Verizon 5G Home customers — where there’s already a YouTube TV partnership, but “additional Stadia promotion news” is “coming soon.”
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