Since it emerged from early access, Baldur’s Gate 3 has surpassed a lot of expectations, having attracted a huge amount of players keen to embark on the journey to its highest levels.
Despite some players feeling that the game needs all of its cut content back in order to reach its full potential, the general verdict on it has been extremely positive and its modding scene is already producing some interesting tweaks and additions.
PC players have already gotten to the stage of trying out some bizarre challenges in the game, those on PlayStation are getting set to delve into it in September and now Xbox players will be getting it later this year. That said, the arrangement that’s bringing the game to Microsoft’s consoles in 2023 has proven a bit controversial.
Do you think Baldur’s Gate 3 not featuring split-screen co-op on Xbox Series S is a big deal?
Recently, Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke has revealed that the game will now be Xbox Series X and Series S in 2023, rather than being pushed back into 2024
Vincke tweeted: “Super happy to confirm that after meeting [Phil Spencer] yesterday, we’ve found a solution that allows us to bring Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox players this year still, something we’ve been working towards for quite some time.”
He went on to add: “All improvements will be there, with split-screen co-op on Series X. Series S will not feature split-screen co-op, but will also include cross-save progression between Steam and Xbox Series.”
Split-screen co-op had previously been suggested by Larian Director of Publishing Michael Douse to be the “technical hurdle” the studio was battling in its efforts to launch the game on Xbox with “feature parity.”
Its apparent exclusion from the Series S release has prompted questions to be raised regarding Xbox’s policies on uniformity between its two current-generation consoles, despite Xbox head Phil Spencer having seemingly suggested to Eurogamer that parity isn’t a hard requirement.
Reaction to the decision on ResetEra has seen gamers be largely split on what the decision to allow Baldur’s Gate 3 not to include the feature on Series S could mean for the console going forwards.
“Simultaneously, [this is] the right decision for this specific game, but a bad precedent to set going forward,” argued user Bigkrev, continuing: “This is a MASSIVE Slippery Slope, and as a Series S owner, I am worried about what my options are going to be this time in 2024.”
Regardless of how you feel about how Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to Xbox, make sure to follow us for plenty of guides to Baldur’s Gate 3’s builds, mechanics, and locations.
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