Doom Eternal won't be 'true 4K' on Google Stadia after all

(Image credit: id Software/Bethesda)

Despite id Software’s promising otherwise, this week it has confirmed that Doom Eternal will not deliver a true 4K experience on Google Stadia

In a blog post, Doom Eternal developer id Software confirmed that the Stadia port of the first-person shooter will run at 1080p and 60 fps on HD displays, and will up-sample to 2160p from 1800p at 60 frames per second on 4K displays.

It’s worth noting that the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro versions of Doom Eternal will also be upsampled to 4K, but the PC version's highest "Ultra-Nightmare" setting will support true 4K performance. 

News of the game’s Stadia performance will likely come as a surprise to many. At the launch of its cloud gaming service at last year’s GDC, Google touted Doom Eternal as one of the leading titles for Stadia, with id Software taking to the stage to boast that the game would run in “true 4K”, prompting whoops and cheers from the audience. 

"If you're gonna prove to the world that you can stream games from the cloud, what better proof than Doom?" said Doom Eternal’s co-creator Marty Stratton. "And if you're gonna prove to a developer that you're serious about building a robust platform, what better team than iD, where we push every platform to its limit?

"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 at true 4K resolution, with HDR colour at an unrelenting 60 frames per second."

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 Another blow for Stadia 

The news, which comes after it was revealed at launch that neither Destiny 2 nor Red Dead Redemption 2 are supporting true 4K on Google’s streaming platform, unsurprisingly hasn’t gone down well with Stadia owners on Reddit.

“Damnit, this blows. With Vulkan and the power of the cloud, this was supposed to be a sure thing,” one disgruntled Redditor writes. “I'm not upset about the resolution itself for my own reasons, but I am upset it isn't hitting true 4k @60fps because now I'm starting to truly doubt Stadia's tech is actually capable of achieving this. Stadia's huge selling point was the best power with the best convenience… not console power with more convenience.”

Another moans: “Majorly disappointing. This was supposed to be the showpiece but all it shows is stadia is barely on par with old-gen consoles.

“Stadia is going to look like a joke come PS5/XBSX and I doubt [Google] is planning any upgrades any time soon.”

If you’re not as disappointed, Doom Eternal will arrive on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Google Stadia on March 20, with a Nintendo Switch version to follow later in the year.

Via MSPowerUser

Carly Page

Carly Page is a Freelance journalist, copywriter and editor specialising in Consumer/B2B technology. She has written for a range of titles including Computer Shopper, Expert Reviews, IT Pro, the Metro, PC Pro, TechRadar and Tes.