The common practice with PC games is that pretty much all of them allow players to play together regardless of where they bought their game from. Turns out that this isn't true for versions bought on the Windows 10 Store and the Steam Store, essentially making the multiplayer portion of the game unplayable for players who bought Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare on the Windows Store.
While this exception to the rule was noted in the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare FAQ (we reported on it here) on Activision's support page, players can't really be blamed for expecting a feature that is in pretty much every other PC version of a game. Because most PC players buy their game through Steam (or a different online store that sells Steam keys) the Windows Store version of the game has a way smaller installed user base, making it hard for players to find ongoing matches and making it impossible to play with their friends if they bought the game through Steam.
The funny thing is that this is not a restriction placed upon the game by Microsoft, but rather a restriction put in place by Activision, the game's publisher. This was confirmed by a Microsoft representative who spoke with Windows Central about this, saying that Microsoft supports "cross-play between devices and platforms for partners who want to enable it."
Because of the low player base, Microsoft is offering refunds to players who bought the game on the Windows Store. Might be a good idea to take them up on that offer if you want to play with your friends on Steam. Hopefully, Activision reverts this rather odd decision so people can play with their friends without having to jump through a series of rather pointless hoops.
We have previously reached out for more details on the situation regarding the restrictions, but have not at this time received a response. If we learn more, we will update this story.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare is out now for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and includes the remaster of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare if the legacy edition is purchased.
What do you think of Activision's decision to not allow Windows Store and Win32 players to play together on PC? Let us know in the comment section down below!
