Baldur’s Gate 3 creator Larian might not be making Baldur’s Gate 4, but its next two games, which will be based on original IP owned by the studio, has Larian’s CEO thinking it could be the studio’s “best work ever.”
In a community update posted to Steam, Larian outlined some of its plans for the future, reiterating that Larian will be leaving the world of the Forgotten Realms behind and focusing on new endeavors.
“As an independent studio since 1996, we value freedom to follow our creativity wherever it leads,” the post reads. “In this case, after six years in the Forgotten Realms and much discussion and rumination, we’ve decided to seize this opportunity to develop our own IPs. We’re currently working on two new projects and we couldn’t be more excited about what the future has in store.”
What those games will be remains to be seen, as Larian says it’s still “early days.” However, the studio emphasized that “the sensibilities that brought you Baldur’s Gate 3 are alive and well here at the Larian castle,” and that the games will be “immersive experiences shaped by your choices.”
Larian CEO Swen Vincke is certainly buying into the hype by his own admission, and is quoted in the community update saying that when he looks at the various plans the studio has in terms of visuals, gameplay, and narrative, he thinks it will be “our best work ever” and it makes him “excited like a kid.”
“Yes, it’s hype but it’s hype because it really looks and feels good,” Vincke said.
Vincke has previously said the studio wants to make a “very big RPG that will dwarf them all,” but that Larian’s next game won’t be the proverbial big one. It will, however, be another step towards realizing that goal. As to why Larian opted not to make Baldur’s Gate 4, Vincke said it would go against the studio’s identity, telling GameSpot, “That’s literally the opposite of what Larian is about. We want to do big, new things. We don’t want to rehash the thing that we’ve done already.”
That Larian thinks its best work is still ahead of it is certainly ambitious considering Baldur’s Gate 3 has already become one of the most critically-acclaimed RPGs of all time, winning Game of the Year at every major video game focused awards show. But while Larian won’t be making Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC or Baldur’s Gate 4, it is still updating the game, with its patch 7 update set to add improved endings and begin introducing official modding tools, with other features, like cross-play and a photo mode, still in the works.
Dungeons & Dragons parent company Hasbro, on the other hand, is already looking for another studio to pick up the Baldur’s Gate mantle. While it isn’t in a rush, it does hope it’s not another 25 year wait between entries in the franchise, with one Hasbro exec stating the company will take its time to find “the right partner, the right approach, and the right product” when it comes to the franchise’s future.
