What you need to know
- Google Stadia will be shutting down on Jan. 18, 2023, and players will no longer have access to their games or save data.
- The Elder Scrolls Online players can transfer their characters, purchased content, and more on the PC/Mac version.
- Notified players must sign into their accounts and download the game client to continue playing.
The Elder Scrolls Online publisher Bethesda has detailed how Stadia players of its MMORPG can continue playing with their progress intact after the streaming gaming service shuts down early next year.
Bethesda initially announced earlier this month that Stadia players would be able to transfer their ESO accounts to the PC version, which would include characters, purchased items, and more. Although, no explanation on the transfer process was given until this week when ESO players on Stadia have begun receiving emails about the transfer process.
"With the impending shutdown of Stadia’s online service on January 18, 2023, we have granted your Elder Scrolls Online account the option to access the game on the PC/Mac platform," the email read. "All your progress when playing on Stadia, including characters, purchased content, achievements, and inventory, has been preserved on PC/Mac as part of this process."
All players need to do is sign into their accounts on the official ESO website and download the standalone game client for PC or Mac. The base game, which normally costs $20, can be accessed alongside any purchased expansions and existing progress.
The process will not work with console versions of the game, as ESO progress can only be transferred between platforms of the same family. Stadia had shared servers with PC, while Xbox and PlayStation shared between generations of consoles each.
Some studios have been making contingency plans for their games released on Stadia after Google announced it is shutting the service down next year. CD Projekt RED recently detailed how to transfer Cyberpunk 2077 Stadia progress to PC, while Embr and Figment developers are giving away their games for free with proof of purchase. The Stadia exclusive multiplayer game Outcasters, however, will seemingly die when the servers are turned off on Jan. 18.
