Whatever's next for Baldur's Gate 3, Xbox Game Pass won't be a part of those plans.
In an interview with IGN, founder Swen Vincke confirmed the breakout RPG both "wasn't" and "is not going to be" on the famous subscription service. He went so far as to call it the plan "from the get-go."
One of Game Pass' draws is having big triple-A titles eventually hit the service. Some games go there a year or more post-release, others like Remnant II from this past July come after a number of months.
With this declaration, the studio is quite openly stating the game is in a position where there's nothing substantial to gain from a Game Pass launch.
Vincke was blunt in that he thinks the game is something that should be paid for. To him, the main reasoning was its lack of microtransactions and how it has a definitive ending (or several).
"Upfront, it's a big meaty game," he explained. "I think there's a fair price to be paid for that. [...] This is what allows us to continue making other games."
It's worth remembering prior to release, Baldur's Gate 3 nearly ended up on Game Pass. Microsoft offered Larian $5 million to lock it down as a Game Pass title back when it was still in Early Access.
Back then, Larian publishing head Michael Douse noted how no one could predict Baldur's Gate 3's eventual acclaim. Its success speaks for itself, but the scrapped deal gave a window into what almost was.
More interestingly, Larian is the second large developer this year that turned down a Game Pass launch. Blizzard refused launching Diablo IV on the service, though it may arrive there in the near future.
Not many developers are open about why they would or wouldn't do a Game Pass launch. And while both Larian and Blizzard were vindicated, not all games, triple-A or otherwise, are in a position of turning down Microsoft's money.
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