It's been a long wait for Baldur's Gate 3 but the release of the highly-anticipated RPG from Larian Studios is set for release on PC tomorrow. The PlayStation 5 version will drop on September 6.
However, Xbox Series X and Series S users will have a lengthier wait.
On Twitter, Michael Douse, the director of publishing at Larian Studios stated, "We’ve said many times in the past that the issue is getting split-screen working on the Series S, which is taking more time, but is in progress. This is a huge technical hurdle, but we are unable to release the game on the ecosystem without this feature.”
Larian creative director Swen Vincke also chimed in, explaining to fans that the studio has not signed any sort of exclusivity agreement with Sony, the issue is purely technical.
Douse went on to explain, "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. 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."
As Douse alludes to above, Microsoft requires gameplay parity across the Series S and less-powerful Series X. It's been hotly debated across the gaming community as to whether the technical limitations of the Series X are holding Microsoft back.
In this instance, that certainly appears to be the case. Still, at least Larian Studios are taking the time to get things right and aren't consciously dropping an Xbox version that will be full of bugs and limitations.
Baldur's Gate 3 has been rated M by the ESRB for Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence.
Baldur's Gate 3 Official Synopsis: Gather your party and embark on an epic campaign in this next-generation Dungeons & Dragons RPG from the makers of Divinity: Original Sin II.
The land of Faerûn is under siege. Captured and infected by the invading Mind Flayers, will you choose to resist their corruption or embrace the mysterious power that is growing inside you?
Embody bespoke Origin Characters or create your own custom protagonist and experience a dynamic story that is shaped by every roll of the dice.
Join forces with a cast of complex characters as you loot, battle and romance your way through the Forgotten Realms – and beyond. Roll for initiative and leverage both advantage and disadvantage with fluid, tactical combat.
The fate of the Forgotten Realms is in your hands.