Stadia will have free online multiplayer, publisher subscriptions, and won't work on Android TVs

What you need to know

• Stadia Base will support online multiplayer games for free.
• Publishers will have the option to create subscription-based plans to access a library of its games.
• At launch, Stadia will not support Android TVs.

Google Stadia has been causing a lot of excitement at E3 about the future of gaming. Recently, Stadia head Phil Harrison sat down for an interview and revealed some more details.

First thing's first, Stadia Base will include online multiplayer for free as long as the publisher doesn't require a subscription. In contrast, you would have to pay up to $9.99 per month for Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus in order to enjoy most multiplayer online games.

Next, we found out a little more about the future of buying games through the service. When Stadia was first announced, we learned that you'd be able to purchase games or play some select free games with your Stadia Pro subscription. Now, we're learning that Stadia will also support publisher subscriptions.

Prime examples of this would be EA Access or Xbox Game Pass, both of which give you access to a collection of games for one monthly fee. In the future, it is likely we could see something similar on Stadia, but it is up to each individual publisher to make it available or not.

Finally, we have some bad news for Android TV owners. At launch, Google Stadia will not have support for Android TVs with Chromecast built in. This update comes in response to a question on Reddit from the Stadia community manager who said, "at launch, you'll need to use a Chromecast Ultra to play Stadia on your TV. We're starting with Chromecast Ultra and will continue to add more compatible options."

There was no word on when or if Android TV support would come, so if you're looking to use Stadia on your TV, it looks like you're going to need a Chromecast Ultra. If you don't already have a Chromecast Ultra, then picking up the Stadia Founder's Edition is probably your best bet.

For $129, you'll get the limited edition Night Blue controller, a Chromecast Ultra, Destiny 2, and three months of Stadia Pro for you and a friend.