Larian Studios’ highly anticipated game, Baldur’s Gate 3, has been making waves among gamers following the recent Panel From Hell event. While the PC version is set to launch on August 3rd, a month earlier than originally planned, fans eagerly await the release of the PS5 version on September 6th. However, there are currently some issues in the works for the Xbox Series X/S versions, specifically regarding split-screen functionality on the Xbox Series S.
Larian Studios is actively working on addressing these issues and has been discussing potential compromises in order to make split-screen work. The studio is collaborating with Microsoft and the Xbox Advanced Technology Group to find solutions. Swen Vincke, the director and CEO of Larian Studios, acknowledged the challenges they are facing, stating, The team has been working hard on making it work, but they’re still working on it. And the problem with optimizations is you finish one thing, and then a new one pops up.
Vincke further expressed his confidence in the team’s abilities, highlighting their success in making Divinity: Original Sin 2 run smoothly on the Nintendo Switch. However, he also emphasized that Baldur’s Gate 3 is an expansive game, which adds to the complexity of resolving the split-screen issue.
Vincke explained the technical challenges involved, drawing a comparison to the multiplayer component of Call of Duty. He mentioned that as the number of players increases, the game becomes slower due to the additional computations required. Similarly, in Baldur’s Gate 3, when the party splits up and each character engages in different actions simultaneously, such as casting spells, the game’s simulation process becomes more demanding in terms of memory usage.
When asked if Larian Studios would consider removing split-screen if it proves unfeasible on the Xbox Series S, Vincke firmly stated their commitment to maintaining feature parity across platforms. He emphasized the importance of split-screen functionality for the studio, stating, Well, if you talk about feature parities, split-screen is a must for us, and we don’t want to release it without split-screen, so we wouldn’t want to do that.
Despite the challenges they are currently facing, Larian Studios’ determination to deliver split-screen on the Xbox Series S showcases their commitment to providing the best possible gaming experience for their players. With their successful track record and ongoing collaboration with Microsoft, fans can have confidence that the team at Larian Studios will find a solution to ensure that Baldur’s Gate 3 can be enjoyed in all its glory on the Xbox Series X/S platforms. The highly anticipated game is set to captivate players with its immersive gameplay, captivating storyline, and stunning visuals when it finally arrives later this year.
