19 December 2023 , 10:34
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Despite Baldur’s Gate 3 now being on Xbox, Larian Studios is now on record stating that players shouldn’t expect it to show up on the platform’s premiere subscription service.
Although Baldur’s Gate 3 is being consistently plagued by one particular issue related to lost save progress on Xbox, players on Microsoft’s platform are still managing to enjoy the title that won big at The Game Awards. There's no doubt that even more players with an Xbox Series X|S would be able to enjoy were it set to appear on Xbox Game Pass, certainly, but developer Larian Studios has now clarified that this is unlikely to happen any time soon.
It did so in a recent interview with IGN, where Larian Studios founder and director Swen Vincke made his stance on the prospect very clear. “We always said from the get-go, [Baldur’s Gate 3] wasn’t going to be on Game Pass, it’s not going to be on Game Pass,” he said. Vincke then went on to clarify his reasoning, asserting his and the team’s belief that there’s enough game there worth paying for. “We made a big game, so I think there’s a fair price to be paid for that, and I think that that is okay”.
Baldur’s Gate 3 was previously exclusive to PS5 and PC at launch, with Larian Studios previously citing issues with getting the game’s split-screen co-op mode on Xbox Series S up and running. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer waved his stance on every game needing Xbox Series X|S parity, however, with Baldur’s Gate 3 finally launching on Microsoft’s platform earlier this month. Xbox Game Pass was never part of this agreement. And it seems that, for as long as Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to sell, it won’t happen any time soon.
Shall not pass
Hearing that Larian Studios doesn’t intend on bringing Baldur’s Gate 3 to Xbox Game Pass any time soon shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. The fantasy RPG epic is many people’s GOTY winner, with most recognising the game’s astounding quality in terms of presentation, storytelling, and especially its portrayal of the companion characters. Recently released titles of such quality very rarely will enter a video game subscription service so close to launch – and Baldur’s Gate 3 is no exception.
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Of course, if Baldur’s Gate 3 was a first-party exclusive straight-up owned by Microsoft, then we could expect to see it come to the service on day one. That’s what happened earlier this year with Xbox titles like Hi-Fi Rush, Redfall, and Starfield, all of which entered the Xbox Game Pass lineup at launch and are still very much available.
There is a future where Baldur’s Gate 3 does come to Xbox Game Pass, sure, but Vincke’s comments make it clear that nobody should expect it to happen soon. Other high-profile AAA games that have arrived on the service before include Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA 5 from Rockstar Games, but never for very long and always for a great deal of time after they launch. The same will very much be the case for Baldur’s Gate 3 when it comes to Xbox Game Pass, if it does at all.