Xbox boss dismissed Baldur's Gate 3 as 'second-run RPG'

It’s not been a great time lately for Xbox and its chief Phil Spencer following leaked documents and emails that reportedly originated from Microsoft’s court battle with the US market regulator, the FTC.

This week, the leaked documents suggested that Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remasters were on the way, a new Xbox is to be released in 2024 (which is now being roasted by fans), and details on a new-gen console seemingly confirmed the release window of the PlayStation 6, to name a few. Heck, a once-private email even revealed Phil Spencer’s intentions to acquire Nintendo.

Check out the Baldur's Gate 3 trailer below!

Unfortunately, as reported by IGN, the leaks continue to flood the internet. An email exchange sent in May 2022 to senior staff at the Xbox HQ revealed conversations hoping to fill a ‘huge hole’ in the 2022 line-up following a series of major delays including Starfield and the troubled Redfall.

In the email exchange between Matt Booty (head of Microsoft Studios), Sarah Bond (head of creator experience and ecosystem) and Tim Stuart (Xbox chief financial officer), Spencer encouraged his staff to “roll up the sleeves and get planning on the next two years of games” which included those that may come to Xbox Game Pass.

Obtaining top third-party titles on Xbox Game Pass is as vital as Microsoft’s first-party offerings and a game that was in the conversation was Baldur’s Gate 3 from Larian Studios, a game once headed to Google Stadia, which has proved to be a massive success this year following its release on PC and PlayStation 5. Baldur’s Gate 3 is scheduled to be released on Xbox, but it was delayed due to technical limitations of the Series S. Thankfully, the new release window of the Xbox version has since been confirmed.

However, prior to the release of Baldur’s Gate 3, Xbox executives referred to the D&D-inspired game as a “second run Stadia PC RPG.” While some have interpreted "second run" to mean 'second rate', in which case Xbox would be underestimating Baldur's Gate 3, "second run" more likely refers to the fact that Baldur's Gate 3 was always destined to launch on PC first. This would make it's console release its .. second run.

At this rate, we doubt it will be the last we’ll see of the leaked emails and documents, so as they say, watch this space.