Baldur's Gate 3 developers are fighting for our right to record clips of any scenes on Xbox without the risk of account bans
There have been reports of Xbox banning users for recording scenes with unclad characters in Baldur's Gate 3.
What you need to know
- Reddit user Daddy-Vegas reportedly received a 1-year ban by Xbox for recording explicit scenes in Baldur's Gate 3.
- This isn't the first time Xbox has banned user's for recording clips on Xbox that violated the TOS.
- Michael Douse, director of publishing at Larian, said they are aware of the issue and discussing the situation with Xbox.
The Baldur's Gate fiasco on Xbox continues. From coming out later than the Playstation 5 version due to development delays for the Xbox Series S to the game save issue that only seems to affect Xbox and can cause players to lose their entire save file. It seems there is another issue affecting only Xbox players who want to enjoy the 2023 Game of the Year, Baldur's Gate 3.
Reddit User Daddy-Vegas posted on the r/BaldursGate3 subreddit a warning to Xbox Users to not record game clips. The image shared in the post showed subsequent bans for game clips ending in a one-year ban on the user's Xbox account. The user said the clips were of some "naked camp time fun."
XBox Users: DO NOT RECORD GAME CLIPS from r/BaldursGate3
Will you get banned for recording Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox?
As for right now, it seems the best option moving forward is not to record any clips in Baldur's Gate 3 that could be deemed to violate Xbox's terms of service in case an automated service ends up banning your account. That being said, the Reddit user did give an update to their post, stating:
"UPDATE:
WE DID IT!!!! I just got an email from Xbox:
"Thanks for your reply. We have taken a second look at this case and have elected to lift this account's current enforcement and remove all strikes relevant to this enforcement."
So, there seems to be some hope there. This sudden change to the ban could be due to Larian reaching out to Xbox, even though the post on X (Twitter) wasn't published until today and Daddy-Vegas's ban was lifted yesterday per Reddit. Larian is still trying to support Xbox even when issues keep bubbling to the surface.
We’ve seen the reports that some players got banned or otherwise faced issues on Xbox having uploaded screenshots/videos of their ‘gameplay content’. We’re in discussion with Microsoft, and we’re looking into it. Annoying and uncool. pic.twitter.com/FNviQnX8OhJanuary 3, 2024
It seems like there is hope that if you have been banned, you should be able to appeal the decision and hopefully get it reversed. It seems an unjust punishment when we are all working so hard to earn these awesome cutscenes. Of course, some people would want to record them to revel in the accomplishment.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
What do you think about Xbox banning users from recording content that is playable on an Xbox-approved 3rd party game? What do you think about censorship overall in video games? Let us know in the comments.
Baldur's Gate 3 | was $59.99 now $53.99 at GOG
Larian Studios' gargantuan D&D CRPG is one of the biggest triumphs in gaming history, so it's no wonder that it won Game of the Year and five other titles at The Game Awards. For fans of the genre or tabletop roleplaying, it's an absolute must-play.
Also at: Xbox
Colton is a seasoned cybersecurity professional that wants to share his love of technology with the Windows Central audience. When he isn’t assisting in defending companies from the newest zero-days or sharing his thoughts through his articles, he loves to spend time with his family and play video games on PC and Xbox. Colton focuses on buying guides, PCs, and devices and is always happy to have a conversation about emerging tech and gaming news.