The Daily Populous Saturday November 18th, 2023 day edition
Authored by gamedeveloper.com and submitted by yummygames__

Larian Studios is giving Baldur's Gate 3 a physical multiplatform release outside of Japan. In early 2024, limited disc-based versions of the hit RPG will release for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S for $80.

The game will be spread across multiple discs on consoles (two for PS5, three for Xbox), while the single PC disc will come with a downloader app to play the game. These physical editions also come with items such as a three-disc soundtrack.

Baldur's Gate 3 originally launched on PC via Early Access, then released digitally on PS5 this past August. Its digital Xbox release is still expected to hit later this year, and prior to now, Larian was cagey on whether it would do a disc version of the game.

Given the RPG's massive success in the last three months, it's not entirely surprising. But it is a notably quick turnaround compared to other Larian games: Divinity: Original Sin II's PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version (known as an 'Enhanced Edition') released nearly a full year after its original launch on Windows.

More immediately, it's a sharp contrast to 2023's Alan Wake II and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Alan Wake currently has a digital-only launch, with a physical release up in the air; Like a Dragon had a limited disc-based run via PlayAsia to make up for the game's digital-only release in the West.

For those buying the disc versions of Baldur's Gate 3, Larian released an FAQ which can be read here.

Jefferrs on November 17th, 2023 at 17:29 UTC »

Included: - Random in-game content - 2 patches - 32 Stickers - Poster - Cloth Map - 3 disc Soundtrack - Collectible Box - The actual game if you don't have it already. Which most companies charge $60-70 for alone

Retrocoolguy on November 17th, 2023 at 15:06 UTC »

Honestly, it should be a 128gb SD card with the full game on it for that price. A disc with just a download link is super lame.

Scorpius289 on November 17th, 2023 at 13:29 UTC »

> the single PC disc will come with a downloader app to play the game

Wtf, then what's even the point of having a so-called "physical release", if the game isn't even present on said physical media?!

If I wanted to download the game, I would just buy it online directly and avoid the hassle of handling a useless disc...