Larian Studios has confirmed that Baldur’s Gate 3’s physical release will ship with patch 5.
Larian’s director of publishing Michael Douse shared this update on Twitter:
“The Xbox retail version, which plays across 3 discs, will ship with Patch 5 on disc. Which is really good news. These things have lead times, as you know. Working on the exact version for PlayStation 5.”
Of course, this is an important decision on Larian’s part, since it does mean that the version of Baldur’s Gate 3 that will be preserved on physical will be on an advanced level of updates. Hopefully, if this version of the game doesn’t have a completed version of Chapter 3 yet, it will be at an advanced enough state that is considered acceptable for this purpose.
Of course, the other big news from this update is that Baldur’s Gate 3 will be released on three discs. For the game that has emerged as the surprise hit of 2023, it was very important for Larian to make moves to make it possible to preserve it for posterity.
It’s unfortunate that these kinds of physical releases have become uncommon now. It is well understood that optical discs haven’t quite caught up to the file sizes of these games, but gamers are used to multi disc releases of console games. It’s really up to publishers to normalize it again.
We now know that 2023 is going to the books as one of the best years for video game releases. Baldur’s Gate 3 accomplished the unlikely achievement of going above many of the best games from more established studios, like Diablo 4, Resident Evil 4 Remake, Street Fighter 6, and Final Fantasy 16.
It must be said, the way this year has played out, there are tons of even more amazing games, that may have fallen off of the radar but definitely don’t deserve such. Titles like Jagged Alliance 3, F1 23, Meet Your Maker, Metroid Prime Remastered, and more, that may already have gotten lost in the shuffle of other more famous games.
It is in this context that Baldur’s Gate 3’s emergence is really quite remarkable. Larian Studios, as only some fans and press may know, was close to shutting down a few years ago. To go from this, to suddenly becoming one of the most critically acclaimed studios in the industry, is a true Cinderella story.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will be releasing on Xbox Series X|S in December 2023. Larian Studios has also revealed that they will have a physical release on multiple platforms in the future.
