Relax. We still aren't playing the exclusivity game.
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) February 24, 2023
As Baldur’s Gate 3 is dated for PC and PS5, Larian isn’t ruling out an Xbox release
Update: Larian says it has run into “technical issues” with a planned Xbox version of the game
Following the announcement that Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released for PS5 as well as PC, Larian Studios hasn’t ruled out the game coming to Xbox too.
Alongside its reveal for Sony’s console during a PlayStation State of Play presentation on Thursday, developer and publisher Larian confirmed an August 31, 2023 release date for the RPG sequel.
The news left some Xbox fans wondering whether the game will also be coming to Series X/S consoles.
Update
Larian has confirmed that an Xbox version of the game is in development, but that it’s release status is currently uncertain due to technical issues the studio has yet to overcome.
“We’ve had an Xbox version of Baldur’s Gate 3 in development for some time now,” it said. “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.
“There’s no platform exclusivity preventing us from releasing BG3 on Xbox day and date, should that be a technical possibility. If and when we do announce further platforms, we want to make sure each version lives up to our standards & expectations.”
“Right now Larian is planning to release Baldur’s Gate 3 for PC, Mac, GeForce NOW, and PS5,” a spokesperson told Push Square. “That said, they don’t have exclusivity and will announce support for additional platforms if and when they’re ready.”
While it wasn’t explicit what he was referring to, Larian CEO Swen Vincke also tweeted several hours after the initial announcement: “Relax. We still aren’t playing the exclusivity game.”
“The land of Faerûn is under siege by a hostile and otherworldly force known as mind flayers,” according to the description accompanying the new Baldur’s Gate 3 gameplay trailer above.
“Their army expands with every brain they infect with parasitic tadpoles, a creature that now wriggles deep within your own mind. You are becoming one of them: a monster feared across many worlds. But as their corruption grows within you, so do mysterious new powers.”
Another new trailer, viewable below, features actor J.K. Simmons as general Ketheric Thorm, one of three main antagonists in the game.
According to Larian, he’s “a seemingly invincible necromancer leading an army of the dead towards the city of Baldur’s Gate”.