It’s hard to imagine Baldur’s Gate without Larian Studios after the monumental success of BG3, winning Game of the Year while ripping the spotlight away from Starfield despite moving its release date to avoid clashing with Bethesda’s first tentpole RPG in a decade. But Baldur’s Gate didn’t start with Larian, and it doesn’t have to end with it, either.

Speaking at GDC yesterday, CEO Swen Vincke revealed that the future of the series is up to Wizards of the Coast and that Larian has no plans for a sequel or any expansions to Baldur’s Gate 3. Unshackled by Dungeons & Dragons, the studio is free to use its newfound reputation and fame to develop something wholly original and without limits, a far more exciting prospect than playing it safe by sticking to the same stuff.

Larian Studios even cancelled Baldur's Gate 3 DLC as it didn't come "from the heart".

Baldur’s Gate 3 was, and still is, huge. WotC is unlikely to toss it aside just because Larian Studios is moving onto greener pastures. That’s not a bad thing, though. The series launched to critical acclaim and cult status with BioWare before the studio hit the big time with Dragon Age and Mass Effect, and Larian was once the newcomer stepping into those enormous shoes.

Baldur’s Gate 4 could offer another studio the same chance to show what it’s capable of with a bigger budget and an audience already in waiting, and there are plenty of great cRPG developers on the cusp of their big breakouts that would be a perfect fit. To name a few:

  • Tactical Adventures (Solasta)
  • Grimlore Games (SpellForce)
  • Owlcat Games (Pathfinder)
  • InXile (Wasteland 3, The Bard’s Tale)

Some of these games are huge among cRPG fans, much as Larian’s own Divinity series was, but Baldur’s Gate 3 broke through the niche nature of the genre and into the wider mainstream in a way we haven’t seen before.

Though D&D’s popularity has been steadily rising and Baldur’s Gate as a series has a cult following, Larian’s effort was a smash hit because of its rich characters and intuitive mechanics. Now there’s a much wider audience excited for more, and many will follow Larian to its next project, but plenty will no doubt leap at the chance to return to the world of Baldur’s Gate in a sequel as well.

Related

Minthara Is Right To Leave Redeemed Durge In Baldur's Gate 3

Minthara craves power like nothing else - we're little more than pawns to her.

Posts

Bigger budgets and a chance to step into the spotlight are one thing, but Baldur’s Gate 4 falling into the hands of another developer is exciting because it means we can see a fresh take on the series as a team with a completely different perspective welcomes us back into the world through their eyes.

The first two Baldur’s Gate games are a stark contrast to Larian Studios’. The combat isn’t turn-based and feels far less authentic to a true Dungeons & Dragons tabletop campaign, while dialogue is text-based and far less personal. Larian Studios flipped that around and made it feel as though we were sitting around the table, playing one big game together across the world. It’s why there was so much camaraderie among the community and why fans latched onto not just the characters, but their actors as well.

Larian didn’t pick up the mantle from BioWare and continue the series in its image, it put its own spin on what a D&D game can be. Plenty of other cRPG developers could do the same in turn which would not only mean Larian moving onto something fresh and exciting, but the series it left behind too.

Without Larian at the helm, it’s a bit of a gamble on whether Wizards of the Coast will handle the sequel well, but it recently stressed the “importance of taking time to get it right”. So, take the time to find a developer passionate about the series and don’t rush a sequel in a desperate attempt to capitalise on BG3's success for short-term gain. Do that, and we could be back here one day excitedly talking about Baldur’s Gate 4 and the future of whoever takes the reins.

Baldur’s Gate 3 was a risk, giving a lesser-known studio a huge budget to compete with the best in the world, and betting on Larian paid off. We shouldn’t shut out another developer’s opportunity to do the same. The series has blossomed under different directions and its future embracing that only feels right.

Your Rating

close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10

Your comment has not been saved

Like Follow Followed

Baldur's Gate 3

RPG Systems 5.0/5 25 9.4/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 96/100 Critics Rec: 98% Released August 3, 2023 ESRB M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Larian Studios Publisher(s) Larian Studios Engine Divinity 4.0
Where to play Close

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Baldur's Gate 3 is the long-awaited next chapter in the Dungeons & Dragons-based series of RPGs. Developed by Divinity creator Larian Studios, it puts you in the middle of a mind flayer invasion of Faerûn, over a century after the events of its predecessor.

Powered by Expand Collapse