It looks like Google is working on bringing Windows games to Stadia.
The company plans to reveal a Windows emulator for Linux next week at the Google for Games Developer Summit (thanks, The Verge).
The specific session, led by Marcin Undak on the Stadia porting platform team, will outline Google’s in-house tech for running unmodified Windows games on Stadia.
The announcement appears to dispute rumours that Google is planning to abandon Stadia when it announced plans to sell its tech to third-party providers like Capcom.
Stadia runs on a modified version of Linux, which creates extra friction for developers planning on bringing games to the platform since the majority of development work is spent on making games for Windows PCs and the big three console platforms.
A Windows emulator may reduce the burden on developers and incentivise publishers to bring more games to Stadia.
Valve has made similar efforts with its Proton compatibility layer to allow Linux machines, including the Steam Deck, to run Windows games.
Google’s deep dive will include technical details on its technology and how developers can potentially build their own emulators.
