Baldur’s Gate 3 is still coming to Xbox, but Larian has confirmed that the Xbox Series S is causing headaches, leading to Microsoft engineers being drafted in.
Larian Studios has once again reiterated that Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t a PlayStation console exclusive, and “we are going to be able to play it” on Xbox Series X|S; it’s just a matter of time. The team continues to have trouble optimizing the game’s split-screen co-op on Xbox Series S, and due to Microsoft’s requirement that games need to release for both of its consoles, Larian can’t just release Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Series X. However, Microsoft’s engineers are now helping with the project.
Larian Studios hopes to release Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox Series X|S this year
Speaking with IGN, Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke said the complexity of Baldur’s Gate 3 is why we don’t yet have an Xbox Series X|S release date. The level of freedom the game gives you seems to be causing issues with split-screen co-op on Xbox Series S, and by the sounds of it, some “compromises” will be made to get the game on Xbox. “It’s not that we planned this. Our plan was that we wanted to have a simultaneous release. But we’ve been on this game for a long time. It’s a really big game. The amount of things you can do in it is insane. I think people will be surprised when they see everything. There are constraints we have to overcome, so we just work on them. Some take more time,” Vincke said. “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 also.”
Since starting work on Baldur’s Gate 3, Vincke says that the game has continued to grow as content has been added, which has only made the Xbox Series S development even more difficult. One positive note is that Microsoft’s Advanced Technology Group (ATG) has stepped in to help with the optimizations and offer support. “We’ve certainly had support from Microsoft,” he said. “We had support from the ATG group. They’ve been doing great. They’ve been helping a lot. Everybody wants this out on Xbox. It’s not that we don’t want it out on Xbox. It’s just that, our problem — and this is us, Larian — is that we just made a very big game. And it’s a very complicated game.
“We’re also not a developer with an infinite amount of resources. We are constrained in the amount of time each platform version is tested,” Vincke said. “The more permutations you start adding to it on a platform, the more complicated that becomes.”
Vincke says it’s Larian’s “ambition” to have Baldur’s Gate 3 launch on Xbox Series X|S this year, but couldn’t guarantee that it will, even with the aid of Microsoft’s team. “I wish I could tell you we can do magic and miracles. We can’t. But I don’t think we should withhold a version that is ready from the world if we’re there,” Vinke said. “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.”
Vinke later added: “Our ambition is definitely to get it ready for this year. Our teams have been working on this for quite some time, and they’re pissed off themselves that they didn’t manage to do it. I hope people understand, it’s the reality of development. It exists. It’s not necessarily what you want, but it exists.”
This isn’t the first time the Xbox Series S has reportedly caused issues with game development. In October, Bossa Studios’ VFX artist Ian Maclure said it was an “albatross around the neck of production” and that many developers had been trying to get Microsoft to drop the “Series S launch requirements.” This discussion began when Rocksteady announced that Gotham Knights would launch without a performance mode and capped at 30fps, leading to the studio’s senior character technical artist referring to the Xbox Series S as a “potato.”
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