A new post from id Software confirmed that Doom Eternal on Google Stadia will run at 1080p and 60fps on HD displays, and will up-sample to 2160p from 1800p and 60fps on 4K displays.
The news comes as a little bit of a surprise given that developers id Software had clearly promised 4k resolution back in 2019, when Stadia was first announced.
At the up-beat launch event, id exec Marty Stratton said: “We couldn’t be happier to be bringing Doom Eternal to Stadia and are thrilled to announce that the game will be capable of running a true 4k resolution, with HDR colour, at an unrelenting 60 frames per second.” Cue rapturous applause from the audience.
Sadly, it looks like this 4k pledge has now been abandoned.
Some people won’t be troubled by this resolution drop, as the up-sampling should mean that it’s barely noticeable – but it does feel like a small betrayal from Google. One of Stadia’s biggest selling points was that it promised an affordable version of 4k gaming, but it doesn’t look like it will be able to keep that promise on every game.
Related: Your PC will need hellish specs to run Doom Eternal
This isn’t the first time that Google has dropped the ball on that 4k commitment either. At launch, Destiny 2 didn’t run at true 4k either, which Google blamed on developers rather than the Stadia platform.
But given that Doom will definitely run at 4k on the PS4 Pro and Xbox Series X – and the PC too when set to “Ultra Nightmare” mode – it feels like the problems are linked with Stadia.
Moreover, this doesn’t exactly boost confidence in the platform, which has been struggling after a messy launch and an initially disappointing line-up. As the game-streaming wars heat up – and competitors like Microsoft and Nvidia enter the battle – it’s going to be increasingly difficult for Stadia to win people over.
Doom Eternal is set to launch on March 20, 2020 for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia. The Nintendo Switch version is to follow, but a date hasn’t been announced for the port just yet.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
