17 November 2023 , 13:19
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Larian Studios has confirmed that Baldur's Gate 3 is finally getting a physical release at the start of 2024, with some extra goodies included.
Baldur's Gate 3 is undoubtedly the biggest game of 2023, with its popularity and critical acclaim continuing to grow as time goes by. However, one of the most requested things – outside of an Xbox release, which is coming soon – was for the game to get a physical release.
Thankfully, Larian Studios has not only confirmed on Twitter that Baldur's Gate 3 will in-fact get a physical release, but that it's going to be taking the form of the Baldur's Gate 3 Deluxe Edition which is set to launch in Q1 2024. Not only do you get the game with this edition, but Larian Studios has included some extra goodies, which are as follows:
- Baldur's Gate 3 game (three discs on Xbox, two discs on PS5, one disc and CD key on PC)
- Deluxe Edition Box
- Three-disc Original Soundtrack
- Two patches
- 32 Stickers
- Mind Flayer poster (570 x 690mm)
- World map (600 x 180mm)
Not only that, but you'll also get all of the content included with the existing Digital Deluxe Edition. This physical release of Baldur's Gate 3 Deluxe Edition is priced at $79.99 according to the tweet, while the pre-order page itself lists it as €79.99. This isn't a straight conversion (not a surprise, as prices rarely are) but for the UK and AU, the Euro price converts to roughly £70 / AU$134. It may end up being closer to £79.99 for the UK but we'll have to wait and see until official regional prices are confirmed.
It's worth noting that the Baldur's Gate 3 Deluxe Edition game costs as much as the digital version in Europe and the US, meaning the price actually come in at £65.99 / $79.99 / AU$120.95. Baldur's Gate 3 Deluxe Edition pre-orders are exclusively available on the Larian Studios store for the moment but will no doubt open up elsewhere in the not too distance future.
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Let's get physical
In an era where entire console storefronts can disappear (like the Wii U and 3DS are in the near future ) and more and more games are lacking physical releases altogether (like Alan Wake 2 and Like a Dragon Gaiden ), physical releases are more important than ever. While going digital may seem like a more convenient move at first, ripping away ownership of digital-only media is all too easy when there are no brick and mortar stores that can be wiped out of existence at the drop of a hat, licenses on digital goods can be revoked, and the products themselves can be deleted at the push of a button somewhere.
Having no physical products to show for your money raises a slew of questions about what exactly ownership means in a digital-only landscape; NFTs share a lot of that criticism, albeit with issues unique to the format of those specific 'goods'.
There's also the argument to be made for the preservation of physical media so that these amazing titles can continue to be played well into the future.
Obviously having an incredibly successful digital-only launch and a massive fanbase helps with this, but props to Larian for really going all out with the Baldur's Gate 3 Deluxe Edition and giving us a physical release. For something that costs as much as the regular Digital Deluxe edition (which is also included in this) you get a hell of a lot in this package.