In accordance with what creative director Swen Vincke announced, Larian Studios could have taken the easy route by remaining in the Dungeons & Dragons universe to develop Baldur's Gate 4, but preferred to seize the opportunity to develop its own licenses. As it stands, the studio has started work on two first-party titles, which potentially leaves room not only for the development of a new license but also for a new dive into the world of Divinity. These projects are of course in the early stages of production, but you can already count on Larian to spice things up and promise us experiences at least as memorable as Baldur's Gate 3.
“ Having the chance to develop a game in the Dungeons and Dragons universe was a dream come true for all of us. But as Swen recently confirmed, we won't be introducing major new narrative content to the story of Baldur's Gate 3 or its original characters and companions, nor will we be making any expansions or Baldur's Gate 4.
Advertisement
As an independent studio since 1996, we enjoy the freedom to follow our creativity wherever it takes us. As it happens, after six years in the Forgotten Realms and much discussion and reflection, we decided to take the opportunity to develop our own intellectual properties. We are currently working on two new projects and are very excited about what the future holds.
We're just at the beginning, and we'll tell you more later. But know that while we're focused on these new games, the sensibilities that birthed Baldur's Gate 3 are alive and well here in Larian Castle. We are driven by the same fire that drives us to create immersive experiences shaped by your choices, and we can't wait for you to join us on this new adventure. »
“I want to make games with a beginning, a middle and an end”
“ I don't know if we'll get there, but looking at our narrative, visual, and gameplay plans, I think what we're working on now will be our best work yet », Already predicts Swen Vincke. In an interview recently published by Games Industry, the native of Bruges adds that there is no question for Larian of changing the formula by giving in to the sirens of the game-service. “ I want to make games with a beginning, a middle and an end. That's all. I mean, there's nothing wrong with the games as a service model, I think there are some great examples. But this is a different type of development. I like that the games we make have an ending, because it allows me to move on to the next one. We're not doing another Baldur's Gate, or DLC, because we're done. We want to move on to something new. »
Advertisement
Who to develop Baldur's Gate 4?
At the same time, the giant Hasbro, which owns Wizards of the Coast and therefore Dungeons & Dragons, obviously does not intend to sit idly by and has every interest in taking advantage of the phenomenal enthusiasm generated by Baldur's Gate 3 to strike the iron while it is as hot as Karlach. This is good news, it seems that there is no shortage of candidates to extend the franchise, despite the challenge of moving on after Larian Studios.
“ We are currently talking to many partners and are being approached by many who are taking on the challenge of what the future of the Baldur's Gate franchise looks like. We hope that we won't have to wait 25 years, as was the case between Baldur's Gate 2 and 3. But we will take our time to find the right partner, the right approach and the right product that could represent the future of Baldur's Gate. We take this very, very seriously, as we do with all decisions regarding our portfolio “, commented Eugene Evans, senior vice president of digital strategy and licensing for Wizards of the Coast, on the site's microphone PC Gaming.
It's also worth noting that all of the characters designed by Larian Studios in Baldur's Gate 3 remain the property of Hasbro, which will be able to use Astarion, Shadowheart and other Gales as it sees fit. “ I think it's too early to give specifics and the question of how we approach Baldur's Gate in the future is much larger. But I would like to think that all of these characters, for the sake of the fans, could potentially appear in future products. »
Another big update for Baldur's Gate 3
But in the meantime, let's get back to business at hand, because Larian Studios has no intention of closing the chapter just yet Baldur's Gate 3 and confirms that a 7th update is in preparation. On the menu, the addition of new and improved evil endings to further darken your sinister choices and not just for Dark Impulses. These new cinematic scenes will benefit from new compositions by Borislav Slavov, of which here is a extract.
“ Patch 7 also aims to fix several bugs you've reported to us, including Jaheira's refusal to follow the group and jump into battle, Wyll's unromantic greetings, as well as the mysterious disappearance of the narrator's lines during the clash between Gortash and Dark Urges, to name a few. This upcoming patch will also introduce our official modding tools, which will allow you to modify visuals, animations, sounds, stats and much more, in order to transform Baldur's Gate 3 into the strange nightmare realm of your dreams “, we can read.
Once patch 7 is available after a closed beta test, Larian Studios will focus on eternal bug hunting but also on improving performance and stability. Finally, cross-play and photo mode are also still on the studio's shelves, but given the work they require, these additions will probably come later.