Larian Studios is not making the next Baldur’s Gate game, but the story director of the third game doesn’t mind what it’s like, as long as it’s not made just for money.
We all know that for rights holders and executives, sequels to popular series are often made just to make money. With how successful Baldur’s Gate 3 has been since it came out last year, someone will likely make a sequel.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Director Speaks Out
A developer from Baldur’s Gate 3 said that Larian Studios tried coming up with ideas for Baldur’s Gate 4, but none of them were exciting.
At the Digital Dragons event in Poland, Adam Smith, the narrative director for Baldur’s Gate 3, talked about this. Larian Studios recently announced they wouldn’t be making Baldur’s Gate 4. If there is another game in the series, it will be made by a different studio for the publisher Wizards of the Coast.
Smith said, “We didn’t have any unfinished ideas for Baldur’s Gate 3, so we wanted to move on to new projects. We tried brainstorming ideas for Baldur’s Gate 4, but none of them excited us. We realized we didn’t have the passion for it, so we decided not to do it. It’s great to work in a place where making money isn’t the only goal.”
Smith also talked about why they didn’t make any DLC for Baldur’s Gate 3. Earlier this year, Larian’s head, Swen Vincke, said they considered making DLC but canceled it because no one on the team was excited about it. Some team members even thanked him for canceling it.
Smith explained, “We discussed the DLC, but it felt like we would just be repeating ourselves. We told the stories we wanted to tell. Some people might want more endings, but we felt we had completed our story. We didn’t want to force it.”
Less Crunch on Baldur’s Gate 3 Compared to Previous Games
Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke has admitted that the Baldur’s Gate 3 team had to work overtime, a practice known as “crunch,” to finish the game on time.
Speaking at the Digital Dragons conference, Vincke said that while some overtime was necessary, it was less than what the studio had done for previous games. He mentioned that unexpected challenges came up during development.
Vincke clarified that the team didn’t excessively crunch, but they did have to work a bit later sometimes to complete Baldur’s Gate 3. Most employees would leave by 8pm, and weekend work was very rare.
He explained, “I think, to be honest, you will always have a little bit when you’re trying to finish something, especially when there’s so much complexity that needs to be brought together.”
Crunch is a controversial issue in the video game industry. Developers like CD Projekt Red, known for Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher, have been criticized for mandatory overtime. However, CD Projekt Red has stated they are moving away from that practice.