Most developers would be eager to get their games running on Steam Deck, but Bungie certainly isn’t one of them.
As The Verge reports, Destiny 2 players have been left wondering for months if Destiny 2 would be playable on Valve’s new handheld gaming PC. Bungie has now confirmed it won’t be, and it’s a situation that’s unlikely to change.
On the Destiny 2 Steam Guide page, Bungie added the following note regarding Steam Deck compatibility:
“Destiny 2 is not supported for play on the Steam Deck or on any system utilizing Steam Play’s Proton unless Windows is installed and running. Players who attempt to launch Destiny 2 on the Steam Deck through SteamOS or Proton will be unable to enter the game and will be returned to their game library after a short time.”
Steam Deck is an open platform, though, so a few players will understandably think they could work around the incompatibilities. However, Bungie also issued a warning: “Players who attempt to bypass Destiny 2 incompatibility will be met with a game ban.”
Steam Deck will allow you to install Windows, so that’s potentially one workaround, but Bungie threatening a ban for even trying will discourage most players from attempting this.
Such a stance by Bungie makes little sense. Destiny 2 uses the BattleEye anti-cheat software, which Valve would happily support as it said it would any anti-cheat solution. Bungie is in the midst of being acquired by Sony, but that’s very unlikely to be part of the reasoning behind not allowing the game to be played on Steam Deck. Fortnite also won’t be playable on the handheld, but Epic did at least explain why. Perhaps Bungie has the exact same reason, but everyone would appreciate an official explanation.
I’ve reached out Bungie for clarification and will post an update if I receive a response.
