Forbidden Universe

Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian is looking into reports that Xbox players are getting their accounts banned for posting "'gameplay content'".

In a tweet last night, the studio's director of publishing, Micheal Douse, told players that "we've seen reports that some players got banned or otherwise faced issues on Xbox having uploaded screenshots/videos of their 'gameplay content'."

That might sound innocuous, but given what I know about Baldur's Gate 3 romances, coupled with those suspicious inverted commas and the copious side-eye in the gif attached to Douse's tweet, I think we all know what kind of 'gameplay content' we're talking about here.

Concern around Baldur's Gate 3's more 'adult' scenes, does seem to line up with Xbox's online safety policy. That policy states that game clips and screenshots that "contain nudity or sexual content" aren't allowed on Xbox network as "just because a more mature-rated game can contain themes such as sexuality or violence, doesn't mean that it's okay for everyone to see on the Xbox network." The platform also recommends not sharing content rated beyond the ESRB's Teen (T) rating.

While Baldur's Gate 3's romance scenes are pretty explicit by default, Douse does point out that you can obscure much of the game's nudity via in-game settings. This streamer-safe mode ensures your characters' modesty thanks to some carefully-placed leaves, although that didn't necessarily help a swathe of streamers at launch, who fell foul of the 'hide clothes' button in the character creator.

As for players who have fallen foul of Xbox's terms and conditions, Douse says Larian is "in discussion with Microsoft" over bans and other reprimands. What exactly that means for affected accounts remains unclear, but for now, take it as a reminder not to share too many clips from the Act 1 party.

Baldur's Gate 3's Japanese release made light of censorship with a 20-year-old parody song.