Wednesday, July 5th 2023
Baldur's Gate 3 Split Screen Mode Problematic on Xbox Series S
Larian Studios recently announced that the PlayStation 5 version of Baldur's Gate 3 is getting postponed by a week—from August 31 to September 6, with PC gamers happy to discover that they will be treated to an earlier release (adjusted to August 3). Xbox Series console owners were seemingly left out in the cold with last week's announcements—Larian is yet to confirm a solid launch date for current generation Microsoft systems. The studio admitted—earlier this year—that software engineers were struggling to get the split screen multiplayer mode in Baldur's Gate 3 running adequately on both Series X and S hardware: "We've had an Xbox version of Baldur's Gate 3 in development for some time now. 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 (systems), which is a requirement for us to ship."
Microsoft apparently enforces a policy that locks gameplay feature parity across Xbox Series X and S, and Larian has continued to struggle with technical issues, albeit now isolated to the lesser console (not that helpful given the circumstances)—IGN contacted studio head Swen Vincke for comment about this situation. Other development outfits have expressed their disdain for Series S launch requirements, with calls to drop the system entirely—but IGN discovered that Vincke was reluctant to aim criticism at Microsoft, since first party assistance has been roped in: "We had support from the ATG group. They've been doing great. They've been helping a lot. Everybody wants this out on Xbox. It's not that we don't want it out on Xbox. It's just that, our problem—and this is us, Larian—is that we just made a very big game. And it's a very complicated game...We're also not a developer with an infinite (number) of resources. We are constrained in the amount of time each platform version is tested. The more permutations you start adding to it on a platform, the more complicated that becomes." Given the high profile nature of Baldur's Gate 3, it would be in both parties' interests to get a decent port out of the door, so it is encouraging that Microsoft is pitching in (perhaps to save face).Vincke and his team are aiming to have the Xbox port ready not too far after the release of PC and PS5 versions: "Our ambition is definitely to get it ready for this year. Our teams have been working on this for quite some time, and they've pissed off themselves that they didn't manage to do it. I hope people understand, it's the reality of development. It exists. It's not necessarily what you want, but it exists. We want this game finished. It's ready. It needs to get out there. We want players to play it. We want as many players as possible to play it. So it's in our own best interest to bring it out on all platforms. We are doing everything we can, but we don't want to compromise as we're doing that. We want to make sure that when you get it in your hands you say hey, this is really good, I want to play this with my buddies in multiplayer."
Microsoft apparently enforces a policy that locks gameplay feature parity across Xbox Series X and S, and Larian has continued to struggle with technical issues, albeit now isolated to the lesser console (not that helpful given the circumstances)—IGN contacted studio head Swen Vincke for comment about this situation. Other development outfits have expressed their disdain for Series S launch requirements, with calls to drop the system entirely—but IGN discovered that Vincke was reluctant to aim criticism at Microsoft, since first party assistance has been roped in: "We had support from the ATG group. They've been doing great. They've been helping a lot. Everybody wants this out on Xbox. It's not that we don't want it out on Xbox. It's just that, our problem—and this is us, Larian—is that we just made a very big game. And it's a very complicated game...We're also not a developer with an infinite (number) of resources. We are constrained in the amount of time each platform version is tested. The more permutations you start adding to it on a platform, the more complicated that becomes." Given the high profile nature of Baldur's Gate 3, it would be in both parties' interests to get a decent port out of the door, so it is encouraging that Microsoft is pitching in (perhaps to save face).Vincke and his team are aiming to have the Xbox port ready not too far after the release of PC and PS5 versions: "Our ambition is definitely to get it ready for this year. Our teams have been working on this for quite some time, and they've pissed off themselves that they didn't manage to do it. I hope people understand, it's the reality of development. It exists. It's not necessarily what you want, but it exists. We want this game finished. It's ready. It needs to get out there. We want players to play it. We want as many players as possible to play it. So it's in our own best interest to bring it out on all platforms. We are doing everything we can, but we don't want to compromise as we're doing that. We want to make sure that when you get it in your hands you say hey, this is really good, I want to play this with my buddies in multiplayer."