Update | Larian Studios wanted to clarify that the studio has not signed any console exclusivity agreement with Sony for Baldur’s Gate 3. The game is indeed also in development on Xbox Series, but technical problems relating to local co-op play between Series X and Series S would have prevented the studio from announcing the game with confidence on Xbox. Communicated :
“Following yesterday’s announcement regarding the PlayStation 5 version and release date of Baldur’s Gate 3, we have clarified that currently we plan to release the title on PC, Mac, GeForce NOW and PlayStation 5 That said, we have not signed any exclusivity as to which platforms we can offer Baldur’s Gate 3 on, regardless of the release date. We will announce support for additional platforms if and when we are ready.
We have seen many different interpretations of what this means, so we wanted to clarify the situation. We’ve had an Xbox version of Baldur’s Gate 3 in development for some time now. We encountered a few technical issues during the development of this Xbox port that prevented us from announcing it with confidence until we were sure we had found the correct solutions. Specifically, we were unable to get split-screen co-op to work the same on Xbox Series X and S, which is a non-negotiable condition in order to release the game.
There’s no platform exclusivity stopping us from releasing Baldur’s Gate 3 on Xbox at launch, if that’s a technical possibility. If and when we announce other platforms, we want to make sure that each release lives up to our standards and expectations.“
PC roleplayers couldn’t guess it, but they had better land in front of Thursday night’s State of Play. Larian Studios announced the existence of a PS5 version there but also revealed the release date of the game in a new trailer, with the added bonus of a preview of the necromancer Ketheric Thorm and the collector’s edition of the game, which has already conquered a number of players with its early access on Steam.
Among the important information of the day, Larian Studios confirms that Baldur’s Gate 3 on PS5 will be playable with two in local co-op or online with up to four players, a flexibility already offered by Divinity: Original Sin 2, the studio’s latest great role-playing game. On the PC side, while the game currently only supports keyboard and mouse, controller compatibility will be ready for the August 31 launch. We are also offered to discover the character of General Ketheric Thorm, one of the game’s antagonists, portrayed with great talent here by veteran JK Simmons. If he is well known for embodying, the greatest hasten of Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson, or the detestable Terence Fletcher in whiplashthe actor is also the voice of Cave Johnson in the Portal franchise.
“Ketheric is a man of complex ambitions and motivations. We knew we had to work with a big-name actor who could deliver a nuanced performance, so we decided to contact JK Simmons. We were surprised at how much his performance helped to deepen the character, even though we expected it. We’ll be introducing two more antagonists to you over the next few months, keep an eye out“, commented creative director Swen Vincke in a post on PlayStation Blog.
Here is finally the detail of the Deluxe and Collector’s editions of Baldur’s Gate 3knowing that all PC Early Access players will automatically receive the Deluxe Edition upgrade.
The Deluxe Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3 includes:
A Bard Song Pack featuring songs from Divinity: Original Sin 2
An exclusive dice theme
An adventurer’s purse to get your game off to a good start
The original game soundtrack, artbook and character sheets in digital version
72 hours early access to Baldur’s Gate 3 Act 1 starting August 28, 2023 (on PlayStation 5)
Six items inspired by Divinity: Original Sin 2
Baldur’s Gate 3 Collector’s Edition includes:
All Deluxe Edition content including Early Access on PS5
A personalized sticker sheet
A 25cm high diorama depicting a fight between a mind flayer and a drow
A 160-page hardcover artbook
A cloth map of Faerûn
A set of “origin” type character sheets inspired by Dungeons and Dragons
A tadpole-shaped metal key ring
One Magic: The Gathering booster pack
A custom-engraved metal d20 and its in-game version
A certificate of authenticity