Baldur’s Gate 3 dev Larian definitely isn’t making a sequel, but whatever its next game is, it will definitely go down the early access route.
Last month, many Baldur’s Gate 3 fans across the world likely shed a tear when Larian CEO Swen Vincke said that the studio has no plans to make a sequel or even any expansions. Vincke shared that Larian will be moving on to something else, leaving the Baldur’s Gate IP in the hands of its owners Wizards of the Coast to do something else with. Considering the fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 is still regularly getting updates, and the full release isn’t even a year old yet, it’s unlikely we’ll see what’s next for Larian for a while yet, but in a recent interview with Game File (thanks, Kotaku), Larian’s head of publishing Michael Douse did talk about release plans for the studio’s follow-up.
Speaking of self-publishing and early access, Douse said “This is the only way to do it now.” He went on to note how marketing has cratered, and that an early access release allows a developer to create “social resonance” while less and less games make a big impression on players. Important is that Douse doesn’t say that this is something everyone can do, and if you don’t know how to do it, don’t just do so heedlessly, but it did help Larian work on Baldur’s Gate’s strong gameplay loop, as well as build a community. And for the next game, Douse said it “will also probably be in early access.”
