It’s now confirmed thatDestiny 2on Google Stadia, Google’s upcoming cloud-based game streaming service, cannot cross-play with other platforms, including PC. Google Stadia will be limited to its own “ecosystem,” meaningDestiny 2players on Stadia can only play with other Stadia players. It doesn’t matter if Stadia users are using keyboard and mouse, controllers, or otherwise, they’ll be matched limited solely to multiplayer with other StadiaDestiny 2players.
The news stems from Google Stadia’s FAQ regarding itsStadia Founder’s Editionproduct package. The Stadia Founder’s Edition packages a controller, three months of Stadia Pro subscription, and also the completeDestiny 2including all post-launch content up to and including this fall’s Shadowkeep expansion. The specific question answered is, “Will Stadia feature cross-play with Steam and other platforms?” and the answer is no, “Stadia players will only be able to play with other Stadia players.”
No reasoning or justification for the decision is provided for the decision to segregate the Stadia community forDestiny 2, though a logical explanation can be speculated. Given the nature ofGoogle Stadiaas a cloud service, it’s unlikely that it will feature a similar game licensing and account system. Someone logging intoDestiny 2from Stadia won’t necessarily be accessing their personal copy of the game, they’ll be accessing a pool of licenses that Google Stadia has reserved for its players.
As impressive as multiplayer technology is these days, even with Bungie developingcross-save technologyacross all platforms, some knots would simply take too much time and effort to unravel. Given that Bungie has managed to cross-saves working, though, perhaps there will be hope for cross-platform between Google Stadia and at the very least PC in the future.
Destiny 2is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with plans to launch on Google Stadia later this year.
