Summary
Microsoft really misjudged the potential ofBaldur’s Gate 3, according to leaked documents from the Microsoft vs. FTC trial, calling it a “second-run Stadia PC RPG.” This may sound surprising now, considering thatBaldur’s Gate 3is one of the best RPGs of 2023, but no one really expected it to be this big.
Baldur’s Gate 3is perhaps one of the most surprising hits of the year. Released on PC on August 3,Baldur’s Gate 3surpassed 875,000 concurrent playerson Steam, surpassing the expectations of even Larian’ Studios' boss Swen Vincke. Now, it’s also available for PS5, and it’s selling well on the platform.
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Leaked documents from the Microsoft vs. FTC trial recently unveiled that Microsoft was not expecting much fromBaldur’s Gate 3. According to Polygon, which examined emails exchanged during May 2022, Xbox’s chief Phil Spencer listedBaldur’s Gate 3to other executives as a “second-run Stadia PC RPG,” a reference to the fact that the game would be released on Google’s now-defunct gaming platform. Spencer’s emails also show that Microsoft expected the cost to takeBG3to Game Pass to be around $5 million, as it was seen as a low-priority project at the time. The emails were regarding the delay ofStarfield, which was originally set to be released in 2022, and listed several other potential Game Pass titles, too, with games such asStar Wars Jedi: Survivorhaving an expectation of costing $300 million to go to Game Pass.
At the moment,Baldur’s Gate 3is still not available for Xbox. While it’s possible that Microsoft’s low expectations for the game may have played a part in that, the main issue was thatBG3simply did not run very well on split-screen multiplayer on Xbox Series S. Initially, Microsoft didn’t allow Larian to release the game without full parity between Xbox X and S versions but eventually agreed to ditch split-screen on Series S, considering how popular the game got. At the moment,Baldur’s Gate 3is expected to be out for Xbox Series X/Ssometime between September and November.
Baldur’s Gate 3may not be launching for Xbox just yet, but there’s a new patch for the game just around the corner.Patch 3 forBaldur’s Gate 3will be out by September 21, and it’s part of a larger effort to fix some performance issues and bugs in the game. However, there are still no official patch notes detailing what’s changing, aside from Larian’s statement that the title will be available for Mac computers on this date.
Baldur’s Gate 3is out now for PC and PS5 with an Xbox Series X/S version in development.
MORE:Baldur’s Gate 3: 8 Things The Developers Omitted From The Final Game
