Google’s Update-Free Stadia Downloads Update to Play Buggy NBA 2K20

• Google Stadia requires players to download an NBA 2K20 update.
• The platform is supposedly free of download and updates.
• Google calls it a bug, says they are working with developer 2K Games to fix the issue.

 

One of the key features of Stadia trumpeted by Google’s deep-pocketed marketing push is that the platform doesn’t require any downloads or updates.

Pick and launch a game, and you’re in, playing. An elegant feature that sets Stadia apart from the all-too-familiar and at times, lengthy, installation process of other platforms.

NBA 2K20 Requires an Update

Yet, for one game, in particular, this doesn’t seem to be the case according to reports on Reddit.

Upon launching NBA 2K20, players encounter a screen asking them to wait patiently for an update to download. Fortunately, the game is playable once the download completes.

Source: Reddit

It’s not exactly what you expect from a cloud-based service free of hardware on the consumer side. The whole point of Stadia is that users cannot download updates to a physical console. Where is the update being downloaded? It’s simple, really, to Google’s Stadia servers.

It appears we are dealing with an outdated version of the game. An in-built automatic update feature is triggering the download.

What’s interesting is this suggests the Stadia port isn’t all that different from the PC version of the game where automatic downloads are standard. While Google has proclaimed that it runs versions of games designed specifically for the Stadia infrastructure, this doesn’t seem to be the case with NBA 2K20.

Google Calls It a ‘Bug’

Stadia community manager Grace (who should be praised for being the voice of Google throughout Stadia’s shaky launch), responded to the reports with the following;

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. This is a bug within the game that’s showing an unintended screen. We’re working with the developer on this, and I’ll report back once there’s an update.

A further update surfaced shortly afterward;

We’re continuing to work diligently with the developer on this matter. We’re looking to have another update for you all after the Thanksgiving holiday. In the meantime, NBA 2K20 will play correctly after a brief update. Thanks for your patience!

Well, there you go, yet another Stadia inconsistency between promises and reality. This one’s more of an inconvenience than a controversy of the ilk of the 4K/60fps farce and Google refusing to acknowledge worrying reports of Chromecast Ultra units overheating.

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