It's not easy to follow up one of the greatest RPGs ever made with a worthy sequel. When it comes to development Baldur's Gate 4, even a co-director Baldur's Gate 2James Ohlen knows that the easiest way is this: you don't do it. In an interview with PCGamer, Ohlen revealed that he was offered the chance to do BG4, but he called the idea “madness.” It's getting into production Baldur's Gate 4 seems like a major turning point for almost any video game developer, but the reality is that this daunting task tends to deter top talent rather than attract it.
It's not that there isn't a taste Baldur's Gate 4 between players because it couldn't be further from the truth. Sequel to the game with as many awards as Baldur's Gate 3 would have sold like crazy, not to mention the massive and dedicated fan base that still plays the game today. The problem is logistical. When you're trying to improve a game that so thoroughly realizes the fantasy of “virtual role-playing” to a degree they've never achieved before, the odds of making a better game aren't really in your favor. In fact, you are more than likely doomed to produce an inferior product by default.
Even the former developers of Baldur's Gate won't touch Baldur's Gate 4
There are several reasons why the former Baldur's Gate the director is not interested in building on Larian's work. Ohlen cited the monumental task of creating a game engine from scratch (BG3 uses Larian's in-house engine) as one of the many hurdles to overcome for such a project. The real problem, though, is that Larian was just the perfect studio Baldur's Gate 3and they absolutely crushed it. “Swen [Vincke]“He will always be a master at building such things. Ohlen said, “It's really hard to dethrone him, because of everything — the tools, the institutional knowledge, the team.” It's like someone asking you to play basketball better than Michael Jordan. It's nice of them to ask, but you probably won't pull it off.
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But the problem goes deeper than Ohlen's dismay. Baldur's Gate 3 is, quite frankly, a masterpiece. With its branching narrative, it achieves things that RPG developers have been chasing for decades: massive narrative shifts from a single decision, NPCs organically responding to your character's race and appearance, and different outcomes and party members depending on your moral alignment. These aren't things that game developers have been able to do for years and just decided not to; Larian broke the mold here. Pointing to another developer and saying, “Make the same thing, but better,” is an exercise in futility. There isn't a studio, regardless of pedigree, that can do this without a lot of luck going their way.
The real problem is that Larian was just the perfect studio Baldur's Gate 3and they absolutely crushed it.
Even if the team could pull it off, they'd be looking at diminishing returns. No matter how good Baldur's Gate 4 it will always be compared to its generational successor, down to the smallest detail. This is exactly what players do; we compare games with each other. Any perceived failure Baldur's Gate 4 evidence that Larian's absence has resulted in a lesser game will be pointed out, while any improvements will be dismissed as building on what Larian has already implemented. There is no win for new developers if they don't earn other generational RPG. The bar is set there, and that's a lot of pressure for a team diving into a new franchise for the first time.
Then there are the complexities of the sequel itself. With a game that branches its narrative as significantly as Baldur's Gate 3 even starting seems impossible. You could choose one of BG3 many ending variations and declare it canon. Or you completely separate it from the previous entries and create a sequel in a new setting and starring new characters, all of which completely ignore the events of the previous game so that you don't step on any game. At that point, unless you're solving past games and have traveled far from the titular city of Baldur's Gate, you're not really doing Baldur's Gate already game.
Although he was not bound to his predecessors, Baldur's Gate 3 still fostered connections to previous games in the franchise through companions like Jaheira and Minsc (yes, and Boo), for example. There are callbacks to popular questlines from past entries, and of course there's the city of Baldur's Gate itself, which includes the entire Baldur's Gate 3 the third act. A game that ditches all those connections but still calls itself “Baldur's Gate 4″ it will give the impression that it is just about making money on the nameplate.
There's a reason Larian wants to move on
It's also worth noting that Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke has been very adamant that his team is moving away Baldur's Gate franchise. He cited several reasons, including burnout, lack of creative freedom, and developing a sequel being the “easiest” and “obvious” thing to do. However, there is a little more to it. Larian has had somewhat public problems with Hasbro, the owner DnD IP, like when Vincke lamented the layoffs at Wizards of the Coast, which recorded the majority DnD team that helped Larian create the concept Baldur's Gate 3 let go It's a clash of philosophies that drove Larian to return to his internal IP.
No matter how good Baldur's Gate 4 it will always be compared to its generational successor, down to the smallest detail.
The developer is working on a sequel instead Divinity: Original Sin 2currently only with a name Divinity. He is also working on a second, unannounced project. While this frees Larian from having to work at Hasbro's DnD The IP restriction also allows the studio to return to a universe that has been gradually expanding and iterating since 2002. Divine Divinity. Vincke said, “I don't think we've felt better as developers since we made that decision.”
Movement also makes sense to Larian from a practical lens. After pushing themselves to such an extreme degree, the studio chose the litter. No matter what IP they decided to work on next, Swen and his team were guaranteed the green light. Thing is, you only get one carte blanche before that goodwill starts to fade (just ask CD Projekt Red). Larian is unlikely to want to burn this opportunity by trying to compete with its own generational RPG legacy or trying to recapture lightning in a bottle. Instead, they are smart to use their newly built platform to show that their team can create masterful RPGs in any world, DnD– affiliated or not.
Some fans are undoubtedly disappointed by this decision, and fair enough. Baldur's Gate 3 is an all-time great video game, but it's also very personal. Between solo and co-op campaigns, people have built lasting friendships, told incredible stories, and maybe even learned about themselves while playing. It is not easy to give up the dream that more of the same experiences may come to them. But we can be honest here. There is no world where Baldur's Gate 4 lives up to the legacy Baldur's Gate 3 and sky-high expectations for its sequel. Regardless of which developer takes on the project, more than likely they are setting themselves up for failure. So it's better to simply leave the once-in-a-generation game alone and wait for the next great RPG that dares to stand at the top of the genre.
- Released
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August 3, 2023
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and gore, Partial nudity, Sexual content, Crude language, Violence
