While PC users get to play Baldur’s Gate 3 early, Xbox owners could be left waiting until next year admits Larian Studios.
Anyone who’s looking forward to Baldur’s Gate 3 has been treated to the very welcome news that the game will be launching earlier than expected, at least on PC.
Instead of August 31, Baldur’s Gate 3 will now exit early access almost a whole month beforehand on August 3. Although the PlayStation 5 version has been delayed an extra week to September 6, putting it on the same day as Starfield.
As for the Xbox version, that still lacks any sort of launch window, and it seems the fault lies with the lower specs of the Xbox Series S.
To consumers, the Xbox Series S is a welcome, cheaper alternative to the Xbox Series X. However, it’s apparently the bane of developers, since it being slightly less powerful means it can hold back some games.
Since Microsoft demands Xbox games be made for both models, and they must be exactly the same, this means features that work fine on the Xbox Series X but not on Xbox Series S have to be removed.
This seems to be the problem Larian Studios is facing with Baldur’s Gate 3, particularly when it comes to the game’s multiplayer and split-screen features.
It obviously can’t not include these, since it’d just make the Xbox version an inferior product compared to the PC and PlayStation 5 versions. However, they also can’t release Baldur’s Gate 3 just for Xbox Series X; it has to run on Xbox Series S as well.
In a Steam community update, Larian writes, ‘We’re optimistic about Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Xbox Series X, but in order to announce and release the game on Xbox, we need to ensure that the game is performing without compromise across the entire Xbox X/S ecosystem, in multiplayer and with split-screen.
‘We already put a lot of effort into making it work and will continue to do so. Like with the PS5 version, we’ll release it when it’s ready.’
In an interview with IGN, though, studio CEO Swen Vincke admits that some compromises may have to be made to get Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox, although he didn’t give any hint to what they could be.
‘We’re trying to be very limited in our compromises we have to make. That’s one of the reasons why we’re taking more time,’ says Vincke. ‘But I don’t want to jump ahead of the development team, which is doing remarkable things. I don’t want to say it’s going to be like this until we’ve finished and decided it’s good for release.’
Vincke adds that Microsoft is lending assistance for Xbox development and that while the goal is to have the Xbox version out before the end of the year, it’s not a guarantee.
Plus, while a simultaneous launch across all platforms would’ve been preferable, Vincke doesn’t want to hold the PC and PlayStation 5 versions back when they’re good and ready to go.
‘I don’t think we should withhold a version that is ready from the world if we’re there,’ says Vincke. ‘I don’t think that’s a good reason to stop it. Our PC players have been aiding making this game much better during early access. They’ve been waiting long enough. So it’s time for them to get their version in their hands.’
Baldur’s Gate launches for PC on August 3. A PlayStation 5 version launches on September 6. An Xbox Series X/S version is in development.
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