Last month, Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke was asked if players should anticipate Baldur’s Gate 4. In response, Vincke said the studio was moving on from the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. The studio has now shed more light on their future.
“Being given the chance to develop a game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe has been a dream come true for all of us,” wrote Larian Studios in an update on their Steam page. “But as Swen recently confirmed, we won’t be introducing any major new narrative content to the story of Baldur’s Gate 3 or its origin characters and companions, nor will we be making expansions or Baldur’s Gate 4.”
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“As an independent studio since 1996, we value the freedom to follow our creativity wherever it leads. 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.
“It’s still early days – we’ll tell you more about those later down the line. But know that even as our focus turns to these new games, the sensibilities that brought you Baldur’s Gate 3 are alive and well here at the Larian castle. We’re fueled by the very same fire in our bellies, one that drives us to create immersive experiences shaped by your choices, and we can’t wait for you to join us on this next adventure.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a massive success. Larian Studios claims that it is the first game in history to win 5 Game of the Year awards at different major events including Golden Joysticks, Game Developers Choice, DICE, and The Game Awards. The latest crowning of Baldur’s Gate 3 happened last week at BAFTA Games Awards 2024.
“I don’t know if we’re going to pull it off, but looking at our narrative, visual, and gameplay plans, I think what we’re working on now will be our best work ever,” said Vincke about the new IPs that Larian Studios is developing.
“I get excited like a kid watching the key imagery, want to show it to everyone now and grumble in frustration at having to wait until it’s actually all working. Yes, it’s hype but it’s hype because it really looks and feels good.”
Larian Studios has one more update for Baldur’s Gate 3
It appears Larian Studios has one final update to bid Baldur’s Gate 3 farewell. The studio revealed that they are working on Patch 7 which will “add improved evil endings to the game for even darker conclusions to your most sinister playthroughs, and yes, that includes you non-Durge players”.
The new dark endings will come with musical treatment by the game’s composer and music director Borislav Slavov who was awarded at the BAFTA Games Awards. Speaking about the special composition for the dark endings, Slavov said, “Dark endings usually make the music colors go dark too. Here is a snippet of music from one of the upcoming new end scenes”.
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In addition to the new dark endings, Patch 7 will also come with bug fixes “including Jaheira’s unwillingness to follow the group and jump into combat, Wyll’s less-than-romantic greetings, as well as the mysteriously disappearing Narrator lines from the Gortash and Dark Urge confrontation, to name a few”.
Fans of the franchise would be excited to know that the upcoming patch will also start introducing Larian Studios’ official modding tools to the game. According to the studio, the modding tools will allow modders to change everything from sound to visuals, animations, stats, and more.
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Even though it seems Baldur’s Gate 3 will get no further content updates after the dark endings, Larian Studios has promised to continue fixing bugs and improving the game’s performance and stability for the “best possible gaming experience”.
Other features that Larian Studios has promised to bring to Baldur’s Gate 3 in the future include Photo Mode and Crossplay. A closed beta is planned for PC where a select number of players around the globe will test the latest update before it goes live. More details will be provided in the coming weeks.
