Does The Division 2 support cross-platform play?
Best answer: Sort of. With the release of The Division 2 on Google Stadia, PC players will be able to play with Stadia players, but that’s it. Hopefully, it’s the start of a broader cross-play future.
What is Cross-play?
Cross-platform play is the current holy grail of gaming and would allow players to play multiplayer games with their friends regardless of the gaming platform. That means PlayStation players can play with Xbox players, and Xbox players can play with PC players and so on.
Back in the day, there were a lot of technical reasons why this was difficult, but with today’s games, the only stumbling blocks are the console manufacturers and sometimes the publisher. While Sony has allowed some games, like Fortnite and Rocket League, to use its cross-play system, it’s still trialing it, making sure that it doesn’t affect its business in a negative way.
Microsoft, on the other hand, is all in for cross-play. It started with its Play Anywhere initiative and was embraced with games like Minecraft, Rocket League, and Fortnite. Microsoft is even looking to bring its Xbox Live platform to other consoles.
What is The Division 2?
According to our own Russell Holly, The Division 2 is a near perfect sequel to the original and is definitely worthy of your time and money.
The most recent content in The Division 2 is the Warlords of New York expansion, which takes agents back to where it all began hunting the notorious rogue, Aaron Keener, on the streets of the Big Apple.
Stadia and PC cross-play only…for now?
The Division 2 is set to launch on Google’s Stadia platform on March 17, and Ubisoft has announced that from this date players there will be able to play with, and against, players on PC.
“The Division 2, as well as The Division 2: Warlords of New York will launch on Google’s new generation gaming platform, Stadia, on March 17. On Stadia, both the game and its expansion will also feature cross-play capabilities with PC, allowing Division Agents playing on Stadia and PC to play together. In order to experience cross-play capabilities, players must link their Uplay account with their Stadia account. In addition to cross-play, cross-progression will let players carry their Agent progression across both Stadia and PC.”
Cross-progression alone is huge, allowing PC players, in particular, the chance to move to Stadia for on-the-go gaming without sacrificing the time they’ve already put into the game.
Xbox and PS4 players will be looking on with envy, but hopefully, it’s only the start of a big, cross-play future for The Division 2 agents.
