‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Soars In Popularity With More Players This Year Than Launch Year
If its second year is anything to go by, Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t done leaving a lasting mark on gaming by a long stretch.
Odds are good that you know by now that Baldur’s Gate 3 is considered to be one of the best games in a long while. But did you know that it keeps getting better and better? According to data from Larian Studios, the game, which has apparently been downloaded and played by three people in The Vatican, has seen an increase in total users over the last year.
And on top of that, the average daily users are up 20% compared to this time last year. This means that Baldur’s Gate 3, heading into its second year, is more popular than when it first came out. Which is pretty great news for Larian. And players.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Surges In Popularity
One of the best things about Baldur’s Gate 3’s enduring popularity is what it should teach to the games industry. It’s a lesson that creative industries have been trying to drill into the skulls of shareholders and hedge fund investors for the last decade. It’s a lesson that, until it’s learned, will only lead to further enshittification.
Because the lesson is that it takes time to make great things. It also takes a lot of hard work. And a ton of passion and talent, with the resources to sustain them. Without WotC throwing its financial muscle into the fray, Larian might not have had the resources to keep studios up around the globe so that Baldur’s Gate 3 could be in development basically 24 hours a day (thanks to time zones, not barbaric employee treatment).
This isn’t a testament to the enduring popularity of D&D. It’s a testament to the things that came together in that one moment. There isn’t a single secret ingredient that keeps people coming back to BG3. It has many secret ingredients.
It’s a lot like KFC’s vaunted secret herbs and spices. There are a number of things you need to make amazing stuff. And it’s different for every game. The thing about catching lightning in a bottle is that you don’t always manage it. And that would be fine – except a lot of times, that means someone’s job.
After the amazing success of Baldur’s Gate 3, WotC is definitely looking to replicate it. But they have also canceled multiple in-progress projects. The latest news from WotC is that they are working on an as-yet-unnamed, unannounced video game.
Which sure. Obviously. That’s the whole digital arm of the company. But Baldur’s Gate 3’s enduring success isn’t something you can just churn out. Time alone can tell if any other D&D video games will come close to being as good. But for now, Larian raised the bar up high. And the next big-budget D&D video game will have some hefty shoes to fill, indeed.
