Hasbro Eyeing ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Sequel Sans Larian Studios… Eventually
In a recent interview, WotC said a Baldur’s Gate 3 sequel is still “very much on the cards” though hopefully, not another 25 years off.
As Baldur’s Gate 3 wins all the big awards, The Game Award Awards, BAFTAs, you name it, there’s no question of its success. Larian Studios’ revitalization of the cRPG classic series gave Baldur’s Gate enough life for another 25 years between sequels. Easy. Though WotC hopes the next one won’t have as long a wait.
Senior vice president of Digital Strategy and Licensing for Hasbro and WotC, Eugene Evans, recently revealed in an interview with PC Gamer, that Wizards of the Coast is still very much hoping to keep the train rolling, vis-a-vis Baldur’s Gate sequels, hoping to shorten the time between sequels, as this last one was a bit of a jump.
Though it’ll be interesting to see how they pick things up, considering that Larian Studios has moved on, not just from Baldur’s Gate but D&D (for now) to do their own things. They’ve left behind some big shoes to fill, but it’s not unprecedented. After all Larian themselves replaced BioWare and Black Isle.
WotC Eyes Baldur’s Gate 4 – ‘Keeping Options Open’
As Evans told PC Gamer, the company is very much still keeping its options open, and by all accounts, will have the pick of the litter:
“We’re now talking to lots of partners and being approached by a lot of partners who are embracing the challenge of, what does the future of the Baldur’s Gate franchise look like? So we certainly hope that it’s not another 25 years, as it was from Baldur’s Gate 2 to 3, before we answer that. But we’re going to take our time and find the right partner, the right approach, and the right product that could represent the future of Baldur’s Gate. We take that very, very seriously, as we do with all of our decisions around our portfolio. We don’t rush into decisions as to who to partner with on products or what products we should be considering.”
This wouldn’t be the first time a developer has changed from one title to the next. One of the most notable examples is for the Knights of the Old Republic series.
BioWare developed the first game in the series, but when it came time for Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, it was Obsidian Studios who developed the second, darker entry into the series. The same goes for Fallout: New Vegas, the fourth game in the Fallout Series (we don’t talk about Brotherhood of Steel in this house).
So there’s precedent for a Baldur’s Gate 4 or Baldur’s Gate: New Vegas to be plenty good. It just takes time, care, and dedication to the game itself. Whether or not WotC will be able to catch lightning in a bottle again with whoever they pick next, Evans did express that we might see the cast of characters from BG3 once again:
“I would like to think that all of those characters, for the sake of the fans, could potentially appear in future products.”
Though if you’ve run with Jaheira or Minsc, you know what that can mean.
What do you think of a Baldur’s Gate sequel? What would you even want to see happen in it?
