Google's game-streaming service Stadia now has a timer on its life and it will end on 18 January 2023, according to company officer Phil Harrison.

The tech company that gave the world the best search engine said it would refund purchases related to Stadia.

"Stadia hasn't gained the traction with users that we expected so we've made the difficult decision to begin winding down our Stadia streaming service," Harrison said.

The refund will be made to dedicated players who face the prospect of having unplayable games.

"We will be refunding all Stadia hardware purchases made through the Google Store, and all game and add-on content purchases made through the Stadia store," the company said.

Refunds shall exclude payments for "Stadia Pro" and non-Google Store purchases. Existing users can still play, now for free, until the shutdown date arrives.

Controllers can still be used as wired USB controllers, and unlocking their Bluetooth connection is already being demanded by users.

Stadia never lived up to promises, and while having great potential, it immediately got left behind by competitors in terms of scale, hardware, games, and developer relationships.