As Larian Studios, the creators of 2023's acclaimed game of the year, Baldur's Gate 3, prepare for new ventures, CEO Swen Vincke has shared intriguing insights into a project they've decided to leave behind.
BG3 DLC and BG4 Ultimately Shelved as Larian Moves On from Franchise
In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Swen Vincke disclosed that Larian Studios had been developing a follow-up to Baldur's Gate 3 before deciding to shift their focus. This sequel, which was already in a "playable" state, was something fans "would have liked."
"It's something that you all would have liked, I think," Vincke stated. "I'm sure, actually. And we actually went pretty fast, because the production machine was still warm. You could already play stuff. But you played it and you looked at it, and, like, you know, this is OK." However, after dedicating years to a Dungeons & Dragons-related title, the team was hesitant to continue down the same path. "I mean, we'll probably have to redo it 10 times. And do we really want to do this for the next three years?"
Although Baldur's Gate 4 seemed promising, the idea of spending additional years on a similar project didn't appeal to Vincke or the developers. Vincke emphasized that the studio felt it was time to pursue their original ideas and bring them to fruition.
Morale Remains High at Larian Studios
"We should be looking at how we can do stuff that we get excited about," he explained. After consulting with his teams, the decision was unanimous to move forward. Following their triumph at The Game Awards 2023, Larian Studios chose to step away from Baldur's Gate 3, opting not to develop the sequel to the 2023 Game of the Year.
"I don't think, as developers, we ever felt better since we took that decision [to not make BG4]," Vincke remarked. "Honestly, you really cannot explain or express it, how liberated we are. So morale is super high, just because we're doing new stuff again."
"We'll carry on patching for a while and then we're all going to take a holiday and then we'll figure out what we do next," senior product manager Tom Butler noted at the time. With the plans for Baldur's Gate 4 and an expansion to Baldur's Gate 3 set aside, Larian is now concentrating on their two upcoming, yet-to-be-revealed projects, which Vincke believes will be their most ambitious yet.
Prior to their work on the Baldur’s Gate series, Larian Studios developed the Divinity series, which may see a new installment now that they've moved away from Dungeons & Dragons. Just before BG3’s release in August of the previous year, Vincke hinted that a sequel to Divinity: Original Sin was "definitely on the horizon," but the team needed to focus on Baldur’s Gate 3 first. Although details about these projects are still under wraps, Vincke clarified that their next project in the series won't be Divinity: Original Sin 3 and will differ from fans' expectations.
Meanwhile, Baldur's Gate 3's final major patch is slated for release in the fall of 2024, introducing official mod support, cross-play, and new evil endings.
