Destiny 2 will soon launch on the new platform Stadia – a streaming service for games. An employee from Google has now provided insights on how the company is working hand in hand with Bungie to ensure an optimal experience. The decisive moment: playing Destiny 2 on mobile for the first time.
What is the connection between Destiny 2 and Stadia? On November 19, it will finally happen – Google’s new game streaming service Stadia will launch with the Founder’s Edition.
With this, games can be streamed on numerous devices – expensive hardware in the form of a game console like the PS4, an Xbox One or a powerful gaming PC is no longer required.
Destiny 2 will also be playable on Stadia and is likely to be of interest to some Guardians on this new platform. Because it offers 60 FPS and up to 4K resolution, provided you have a good internet connection.
Therefore, Destiny 2 on Stadia is something special: On the one hand, Destiny 2 will be available at the release of Stadia – it is one of a total of 12 launch titles.
On the other hand, as part of the Stadia Pro subscription, Destiny 2: The Collection is included – meaning you can play Destiny 2 with all DLCs released so far for free under this subscription model. Other games will need to be purchased (initially).
What is behind the collaboration? To guarantee the best possible experience on the new platform, Google and Bungie, the studio behind Destiny 2, have entered into a close collaboration.
While ports or such projects are often outsourced to other studios, Bungie and Google chose a different approach, as the Technical Account Manager of Stadia, Oliver Teckert, recently disclosed in an exclusive interview with IGN.
Google sent a Stadia team to Bungie’s studio and integrated it there for over 6 months. Some employees rotated, while others remained on-site for the entire duration of the project. This team worked hand in hand with the Destiny developers to create the best possible version for Stadia.
Destiny 2 on mobile was the decisive moment
What does the result look like now? Players will be able to find out for themselves in just a few days. It is certainly exciting. Teckert stated that it was an incredible moment for everyone when Destiny 2 finally ran on Stadia for the first time. He will never forget this moment.
But the biggest event was when they got Destiny 2 running on mobile: “Seeing it on mobile was simply amazing. I believe it was the first time the team thought it was really real. I will never get tired of watching skepticism or disbelief turn into pure joy when someone tries it for the first time.”
The project is now complete, and although they will still support each other, the collaboration ends with a bittersweet feeling: “We have become accustomed to seeing them every day, and it now feels strange that we will be rotating to other titles. It’s a bittersweet ending, and we will miss working with them daily.”
How did Google and Bungie work together?
What was the reason for this collaboration? Apparently, it was driven by the high expectations players have for Destiny 2. Teckert stated: “Players now have certain expectations about how Destiny 2 feels and plays today. We need to meet or even exceed these expectations.”
But why send a team to Bungie right away? Bungie could have just outsourced it or simply exchanged emails with Google. The Technical Account Manager of Stadia addressed this as well:
“We knew that the best results would only come from a united team with a shared philosophy working towards a common goal.” And that goal is to be able to play Destiny 2 anywhere and anytime on Stadia, according to Teckert.
So they worked: The collaboration went so far that Google employees even participated in the daily stand-up meetings of the Bungie developers – as full members of the team.
The project brought them into contact with nearly every area of the studio, and after some time, they acted as one unit – with the same dedication, the same goal, and the same philosophy. Everyone could voice anything, bring up any problem.
Tackert noted: “During development, it felt like a bunch of excited developers were working on a game that we all love.”
He himself is a huge fan and an active hardcore player from the very beginning. It is a huge advantage when developers work on a game they actively play.
What has Google learned during this time? During their time at Bungie, Google’s Stadia team was able to gain many insights and experiences. According to Teckert, one of the most important factors is Bungie’s strong focus on players and their experiences. This is what greatly influences their decisions.
What Google was able to take from this: Solutions to problems should always be validated by the player base. They will take this home and apply it when it comes to bringing more games to Stadia. Teckert stated: “They helped us align our decision-making more with what matters most to players, rather than approaching a problem in isolation.”
What exactly is Google Stadia? Do you want to learn more about Google’s new game streaming service? What exactly is Stadia? How does it work? What subscriptions are available? When is the release? Which games are supposed to come? And what are the prices for the subscription? Then check out our comprehensive overview article:
Is Google Stadia a viable option for you when it comes to Destiny 2 or other games? Or do you see this new streaming service with skepticism?
