Bad news for Stadians: according to a new report, Google is attempting to salvage its Stadia streaming service by partnering with firms like Peleton to develop interactive experiences and online demos, rather than focusing on video games.

This revelation comes from a Business Insider piece published yesterday, as viewed by the edge, and portrays a not-so-happy finish for Stadia. Stadia’s boss, Phil Harrison, is now reporting to Google’s VP of subscription services, rather than directly to Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh. Experts see this as a lowering of the entire Stadia business as a result of unsatisfactory sales and performance that fell far short of Google’s goals, according to the report.

Google Stadia currently appears to be focusing on lucrative collaborations with other firms in order to produce and power experiences for them. And, oddly, some of these offers have already been observed, with a recent game discovered on Peleton bikes actually running Google Stream, which is supposedly the new moniker for Google’s Stadia technology.

Some people, according to current and former Google Stadia employees, still believe in the fantasy of playing games like Cyberpunk 2077 on their phones. However, according to a source who talked with Business Insider, just approximately “20 percent of the attention” on Stadia right now is on gaming.

“There are a lot of individuals internally who want to keep it continuing,” a source told Business Insider. “They’re working incredibly hard to make sure it doesn’t die.” “But they aren’t the ones who write the checks,” says the narrator.

Google Stadia has already commented to the allegation, stating that the team is “working incredibly hard on a fantastic future” for the streaming service in a Twitter thread. He cited the addition of 100 games to the service in 2021, as well as the provision of 50 games to Pro customers, as proof that the battle was far from finished. He also hinted that more features might be added shortly, although he didn’t say when or what they would be.

While it’s unlikely that Google would abandon Stadia anytime soon, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the company’s bet on gaming did not pay off.

Stadia has been involved in a number of legal battles in the previous two years, including the abrupt closure of its major self-development studio, conflicts with independent developers, and important personnel departures. Last year, it was also reported that iiStadia underperformed in recruiting new subscriptions and users by “hundreds of thousands” after investing “tens of millions” of dollars to obtain ports of large AAA titles like Red Dead Redemption.

Google’s decision to transform Stadia into a more commercial product, one that can be integrated into various experiences and demos for other firms, is likely a good one and a means to save all of the technology and resources invested in the service. However, I would advise against purchasing any games on Stadia, as that Google service now appears to be on its way out faster than ever.