In recent weeks, a compelling discussion has emerged concerning the highly anticipated role-playing game, Baldur's Gate 3, particularly regarding its launch on Xbox Series S. The core of the discourse revolves around the much-debated split-screen feature.
After Larian Studios hashed things out with Microsoft at Gamescom 2023, the console manufacturer finally relented and gave the greenlight to launch the game on their latest platforms. The only catch? The flagship platform will have split-screen co-op while its more economical sibling, the Xbox Series S, will be the only console without it.
As if in response to the ensuing backlash and the presumed precedence that it set, Larian Studios clarified something on Twitter.
Baldur's Gate 3, which has already established a significant presence on the PC as one of the highest-rated video games on the platform ever, was initially delayed on the Xbox Series S/X due to difficulties making split-screen co-op work on both consoles. The developers behind the game faced technological constraints preventing the successful integration of this feature on the Xbox Series S, specifically because of its weaker hardware and Microsoft's feature parity policy. This guideline essentially mandates that games should offer consistent features across both the Xbox Series X and Series S. Given Larian's difficulties with the split-screen feature on the Series S, this created a potential roadblock for the game's release on either of the Xbox platforms.