Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t avoiding Xbox Series X|S because of a console exclusivity deal with Sony for PlayStation 5. Instead, the Xbox omission stems from a developmental issue regarding split-screen support on Series S.
Developer Larian Studios cleared the air about Baldur’s Gate 3 on consoles after the RPG was unveiled it’s heading to PS5 during Sony’s State of Play event yesterday. “We’ve had an Xbox version of Baldur’s Gate 3 in development for some time now,” Larian Studios said in a statement.
“We’ve run into some technical issues in developing the Xbox port that have stopped us feeling 100% confident in announcing it until we’re certain we’ve found the right solutions–specifically, we’ve been unable to get splitscreen co-op to work to the same standard on both Xbox Series X and S, which is a requirement for us to ship.”
So Baldur’s Gate 3 hasn’t been ruled out as coming to Xbox Series X|S. Though that’s still up in the air. Additionally, this isn’t the first time there have been complaints about Series S. Studios have reportedly asked Microsoft to drop the Xbox Series S launch requirement because it holds back games.
There is a power and performance difference between Xbox Series X and Series S. For example, the former sports 12 teraflops against 4 teraflops for Series S. There isn’t a similar issue when developing for PS5.
For now, Baldur’s Gate 3 will arrive August 31, 2023, on PS5 and PC–with Larian noting that includes Mac and GeForce Now. The developer added it “will announce support for additional platforms if and when we’re ready.” GameSpot has contacted Microsoft for comment.
