Why Baldur's Gate 3 Exclusively Premieres on Xbox Series X/S: All You Need to Know!

Baldur's Gate 3 is currently not available on Xbox Series X/S consoles as Microsoft requires equal gameplay features on both consoles, and the game's co-op feature complicates this requirement. This decision was made after the game's release date was rescheduled, with the PC version launching on August 3 and the PS5 version coming slightly later on September 6.

Baldur's Gate 3 has undergone an early access phase and is now transitioning into a full release. The game follows the story of a protagonist who gains new abilities as a result of having a Mind Flayer parasite implanted in their brain, and players' reactions to this situation. Described as a "story-rich, party-based RPG set in the Dungeons and Dragons universe," the choices made by players are of great importance in the game.

Because of its popularity and legacy, the desire for Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox consoles is widespread. However, according to Larian Studios' Swen Vincke in a recent interview with IGN, achieving this goal is proving to be more challenging than anticipated. The difficulties lie in a combination of gameplay features, console policies, and development obstacles. The main issue arises from the game's co-op functionality, which offers players a level of freedom in exploring densely populated cities. This feature poses optimization challenges and also restricts the potential release on Xbox consoles due to a policy imposed by Xbox. Apart from aspects like framerate, Xbox Series X/S requires gameplay features to be consistent between the two versions. Consequently, Baldur's Gate 3 cannot be launched exclusively on Xbox Series X with co-op, while omitting it on Xbox Series S.

The early access development of Baldur's Gate 3 poses a challenge for optimization due to its continuous content updates. However, Larian Studios is not alone in this, as they receive support from Microsoft. This suggests that Baldur's Gate 3 will eventually be available on Xbox Series X/S. While compromises may need to be made to release the Xbox version, the specific details are unknown as to not overshadow the hard work of the development team. Although it is unfortunate that Baldur's Gate 3 won't launch simultaneously with the PS5, there is a positive aspect. The game's release date on September 6 coincides with Starfield's release and the busy month of September, indicating a promising fall season for gamers.

Baldur's Gate 3 releases for PC on August 3 and for PS5 on September 6. An Xbox Series X/S version is in development.

Source: IGN