Baldur’s Gate 3 is launching for PC imminently, which will be followed by a PS5 version next month, though those hoping to play it on Xbox Series X/S are going to have to wait a while to get their hands on the game. Developer Larian Studios has previously said that it’s facing technical difficulties with getting the RPG’s splitscreen co-op fully optimized for the relatively weaker hardware of Xbox Series S, and though CEO Swen Vincke had previously said the studio was hoping for a 2023 Xbox release, it seems that might not happen after all.
The same was recently suggested by Larian Studios’ head of publishing Michael Douse on Twitter. After reiterating that Baldur’s Gate 3 has no exclusivity agreement with any platform and that the Xbox version has been delayed due to issues with the game’s splitscreen support, Douse said Larian is “obliged to launch with feature parity”, echoing similar previous statements by the studio.
“Far from being exclusive, we have no exclusivity deal that prevents us from launching on Xbox,” he wrote. “he issue is a technical hurdle. We cannot remove the split-screen feature because we are obliged to launch with feature parity, and so continue to try and make it work.”
Douse then went on to add that work on sorting out the issue in question is continuing, and that Larian is hoping to have more news to share on the same “by the end of the year”- seemingly suggesting that Baldur’s Gate 3 might not be ready for release on Xbox Series X/S until 2024.
“We have quite a few engineers working very hard to do what no other RPG of this scale has achieved: seamless drop-in, drop-out co-op on Series S,” he wrote. “We hope to have an update by the end of the year.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 launches for PC on August 3 (though pre-loading isn’t available), and will also be optimized for the Steam Deck at launch, where splitscreen co-op won’t be supported. A PS5 version will launch on September 6.
Far from being exclusive, we have no exclusivity deal that prevents us from launching on Xbox. The issue is a technical hurdle. We cannot remove the split-screen feature because we are obliged to launch with feature parity, and so continue to try and make it work.
— Very AFK (@Cromwelp) July 31, 2023
We have quite a few engineers working very hard to do what no other RPG of this scale has achieved: seamless drop-in, drop-out co-op on Series S. We hope to have an update by the end of the year.
— Very AFK (@Cromwelp) July 31, 2023
