With Google bringing streaming to the video game market in a big way with Stadia this November, there’s a lot of questions about the viability of the product. One question that many may not have thought of, however, is implementation of multiplayer services. Stadia does not have a dedicated piece of hardware, so does that open up doors to more cross-play opportunities? Especially in regards to PC, since it’s generally seen as an open platform? Well, it seems that, at least in the case of Destiny 2, it doesn’t mean that, as the Stadia version of the game will have its own playerbase, separate from even the PC version.
As confirmed by Destiny General Manager Mark Noseworthy, this version of the game will not have cross-play. He says in a tweet, which you can see below, that there’s no real technical barriers present to prevent it, but they are choosing to focus on cross-saves instead.
It’s hard to say if this will be the norm or not, but if it’s any indication, it seems that the Stadia version of games will be their own thing, much like other platforms, with their own pools of players. How that will effect the product’s potential future is hard to say- only time will tell.
Destiny 2 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC; it will launch in November with Stadia. The latest update for the game, Shadowkeep, releases on September 17th.