Split-screen or not split-screen? While the developers of Baldur’s Gate 3 announced that their game would be released on Xbox Series S without split-screen multiplayer, a recent Microsoft post suggests otherwise.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is probably the RPG of the year, but Xbox players will still have to be patient to enjoy it. The release of the game on Microsoft consoles is more complex than expected, and for good reason: the developer Larian Studios seems to be encountering some difficulties with the Xbox Series S, the least powerful of the next-gen consoles from the Redmond firm. In particular, the split-screen game mode should be removed from this version of the game for the time being. To be added later? Microsoft casts doubt.
An Xbox Series S version “less provided” than on Xbox Series X: a breach of Microsoft’s rule
To resolve this technical imbroglio, the CEO of developer Larian Studios, Swen Vincke, spoke in person with the head of Xbox Game Studios, Phil Spencer. Together, they agreed on an interim solution, which is the outright abandonment of split-screen multiplayer on Xbox Series S.
Until now, and despite its less generous technical sheet, the latter had always advocated functional parity with its big sister, the Series X. If graphic concessions were in order, the Series S offered a gameplay experience similar in all respects. The decision to remove one of the features of a game on Microsoft’s “youngest console” is therefore quite unprecedented. Phil Spencer has all the same recently tried to justify it to our colleagues fromEurogamer :
There are features that are currently available on [la Series] X, which are not on [la Series] S, including in our own games, like ray-tracing which works on the X, but not on the S in some titles. A player [sur Series] S, who spent about half of what a customer spent [de la Series] X, fully understands that he will not have exactly the same gaming experience.
split screen in Baldur’s Gate 3 : still hope for Xbox Series S gamers?
If it is confirmed that Baldur’s Gate 3 will be amputated from its local multiplayer mode for its release on Xbox Series S (expected by the end of the year), the official Xbox account is considering the possibility of adding this functionality through a later update. The firm recently declared on the social network X.com: “ We will continue to work with Larian to consider adding split screen to Series S after launch. »
Players on Series S will therefore be able to hang on to this eventuality as well as to another feature which has indeed been confirmed: Baldur’s Gate 3 will benefit from cross-saving on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, provided that you synchronize your game data with a Larian account. It will therefore be possible to start your game on one system and continue it on another.
Baldur’s Gate 3 successfully launched on PC earlier this August and is due out on PS5 on September 6, 2023, before coming to Xbox Series X|S later this year. For fans of the genre (but not only), it is undoubtedly an essential title, which we have rated 10/10 in our columns.
Source : GameSpot
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