Larian Studios, the studio behind the development of Baldur’s Gate 3 has provided further updates regarding the development of the game for Xbox, acknowledging that although the process is ongoing, the studio may encounter the need to make certain “compromises” in order to ensure a release on the platform.
Larian Studios first made a statement on the development of an Xbox version of Baldur’s Gate 3 in February 2023, stating that its focus is currently on a PlayStation version of the game, but that it’s “run into some technical issues” for the Xbox version.
In a new interview with IGN, Larian boss Swen Vincke said on the Xbox version, “We’re trying to be very limited in our compromises we have to make.” He continued, “That’s one of the reasons why we’re taking more time also.”
Vincke highlighted one main issue related to the development of Baldur’s Gate 3 was the evolving nature of the game’s development process. Larian’s engineers faced challenges in optimizing the S version due to the continuous addition of content throughout the years, which expanded the scope of the game. “It was very hard for them to do this when the game wasn’t ‘finished finished’ yet, because all the content kept on coming,” Vincke explained. “Now they have everything, so they see what they’re up against.”
IGN also highlighted that in October 2022, a VFX artist who had worked on an Xbox Series X and S game said in a now-deleted tweet that “many developers have been sitting in meetings for the past year desperately trying to get Series S launch requirements dropped”.
“Studios have been through one development cycle where Series S turned out to be an albatross around the neck of production, and now that games are firmly being developed with new consoles in mind, teams do not want to repeat the process,” the developer said.
The Xbox Series S may be a cheaper option for consumers, but as developers move to full current-generation only games, it’s possible that more headlines on the Series S and the headache its seemingly creating for developers will continue.
Will you be buying Baldur’s Gate 3 on the Xbox?
For more Key to Gaming coverage, check out everything we know about Modern Warfare 3.