Bungie dams up streaming of 'Destiny 2' by blocking game capture programs

By Garrett Hulfish August 4, 2017

Destiny 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Streaming is a growing trend in recent years. Instead of playing every single game, more and more gamers are watching their favorite streamers play them. Practically any game, whether old or new, can be streamed, which makes Bungie stand out when the company makes it more difficult to stream Destiny 2.

According to new Bungie FAQ page notes, several of the most popular game capture programs will not work with Destiny 2 on PC. Additionally, some overlays for chat and hardware monitoring will also be blocked. These restrictions also apply to this month’s PC beta.

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“The Game Capture mode of applications such as OBS and XSplit is not supported,” read the notes.

This was done to prevent any exploits that could lead to cheating and ensure that every player has a fair shot. Some third-party applications insert code into the game client. All hope is not lost, however. Other methods, such as using external hardware capture through Elgato, AVerMedia, or a dedicated streaming PC are still supported. Nvidea Shadowplay and AMD ReLive are also supported.

All of these streaming complications are relevant while playing in Exclusive Fullscreen, where more of the PC’s resources are focused on running the game at a smoother framerate and higher resolution. Running the game in Windowed Mode or Borderless Fullscreen does not come with the same restrictions. OBS and XSplit are both supported there instead.

“Other recording applications, such as Dxtory, Razer Cortex, Fraps have similar restrictions to those outlined above,” adds Bungie.

Other third-party applications which rely on screen overlays will generally not be compatible with Destiny 2. For example, visual notifications provided by Discord or Mumble to show who is talking will not work. These features may still be provided through the application itself. In a similar fashion, frame rate and statistic overlays from EVGA Precision XOC, MSi Afterburner, and Fraps will not work.

Bungie emphasizes that these examples are not all-encompassing. Players may still encounter issues with other applications that rely on inserting code into the game client. If players are running into decreased game performance while running certain applications along with Destiny 2, they should check to make sure any of these features that attempt to insert code are turned off.

For anyone who wants to try to stream Destiny 2 themselves, the PC beta begins August 28.

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