Baldur’s Gate 3 Won’t Come to Game Pass as Larian Believes They Charge a “Fair Price” For It
16.12.2023 - 15:02
/ wccftech.com
/ Adam Smith
/ Swen Vincke
After a period of some uncertainty, Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available on Xbox Series X/S, which begs the question – could the smash hit RPG ever end up on Xbox Game Pass? Baldur’s Gate 3 is exactly the kind of high-engagement title that could potentially drive long-term Game Pass subscriptions, so I’m sure Microsoft would love it, but according to Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke, it’s not happening.
Vincke rightfully points out that Baldur’s Gate 3 delivers a ton of content without any sort of additional microtransactions or monetization, so he feels it’s only fair players should have to pay for that experience…
“We always said from the get-go, it wasn't going to be on Game Pass, it's not going to be on Game Pass. […] We made a big game, so I think there's a fair price to be paid for that, and I think that that is okay. We don't charge you any micro-transactions on top of it, so you get what you pay for. Upfront it's a big meaty game. So I think that should be able to exist as it is. This is what allows us to continue making other games.”
Fair enough! Of course, this story takes on a bit of an extra layer when you take into account leaks from earlier this year that indicated Microsoft once thought they’d be able to get Baldur’s Gate 3, which they described as a “second-run Stadia PC RPG,” on Game Pass for only $5 million. By comparison, they expected to pay $250 million to get Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Regardless of all that, the Xbox version of the game is already topping sales charts, so it makes complete sense that Game Pass isn't currently being considered.
In other BG3 news, Adam Smith spoke to the Xbox On Twitch channel and didn't rule out new races being added with future updates.
Currently, we’ve not stopped updating the game. We’re going to carry on updating it, we’re not done yet. We don’t have specific plans for new races at the moment, but we’re not saying no.
The team at Larian also just pushed a new hotfix, the fourteenth since the game's launch.
Haven’t been keeping up with Baldur’s Gate 3? The Game Awards GOTY is definitely worth your time, as spelled out in Wccftech’s very positive 9.5 out of 10 review…
“With its engaging story, charming characters, extremely dynamic world that constantly reacts and adapts to the player's actions and choice and a solid tactical combat system, Baldur's Gate 3 is among the best CRPGs ever released. A wonky interface, the lack of some quality-of-life features and Larian Studios' trademark save scumming design impact the experience, but they're only minor issues that don't take away too much from the whole experience. After years in development, Baldur's Gate 3 definitely exceeded all expectations in the best possible way.”
Baldur’s Gate 3