There’s no doubt that for the majority of modern games, the post-launch era is actually more crucial than the pre-release announcements. We’ve seen so many titles getting more content over time. This new trend is even more customary when we consider the extent of a video game’s critical success, and in the case of Baldur’s Gate 3, many people were hoping for a future full of expansions.
However, a few months ago, Larian’s CEO, Swen Vincke, dropped a bomb at the end of his CDG 2024 Baldur’s Gate 3 panel, revealing that the popular game won’t have a DLC or sequel. Vincke revealed that Larian was working on DLC at one point, but now the studio wants to create a “very big RPG that will rule them all.”
Larian CEO Reveals Cancelled Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 was one of the most successful titles in 2023, smashing all sorts of records known to gamers. Despite the title’s incredible reception, Larian Studios’s founder, Swen Vincke, revealed that the studio doesn’t have any plans to create an expansion or a sequel for Baldur’s Gate 3.
Vinke’s announcement frustrated many in the community, who were expecting to see even more things being added to Baldur’s Gate 3 or a sequel that could take things to the next level. In an interview with GameSpot, he explained more about what led Larian Studios to this decision.
When it came to Baldur’s Gate 3, everybody was telling us ‘you got to make DLC and really you should be starting on a sequel, this is so successful and made so much money’. For a while, I was actually like, yeah, that’s what we should be doing, we should change our plans and do that. The team actually said, yeah, we should be doing that.
Larian’s founder revealed that at one point, the studio was, in fact, considering a DLC, or sequel, for Baldur’s Gate 3. However, the studio came to the realization that it’s not something they’d love to work on and instead want to focus on new things.
But then later in the year I realized that’s not what we’re made for. 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, so that’s why we said we’re not going to do that. So, we’re back on our original plan which is going to the next thing and the bigger thing.
Getting a hit entry into the gaming market despite the stiff competition is truly an achievement by Larian. After Baldur’s Gate crossed the 10 million mark in sales and brought home several honors at The Game Awards 2023, many people were looking forward to seeing what the developers have in store for the fantasy title.
Larian’s decisions behind not going for an expansion, or sequel are understandable, but many can’t help but imagine an alternate reality where the franchise took upon the mantle to obliterate competition in the gaming industry.
What’s Next For Larian Studios?
If Larian Studios isn’t planning an expansion or sequel for Baldur’s Gate 3, then what’s next for the studio? Well, in an interview with Eurogamer, Vincke revealed that the team has already picked two titles to develop after Baldur’s Gate 3 and is now back on track.
Larian’s founder talked about his ambitions for a dream RPG and hoped that next-gen hardware could help the studio make its vision a reality.
So this was part of a larger plan that I have towards what I called a very big RPG that will rule them all. I think there’s some tech that we don’t have yet. I don’t know what the specs are going to be in the next gen. I hope we’re going to get something that’s going to bring us closer.
It’s hard to figure out what Vincke has in mind for Larian’s future. It’s surely going to be a long while before we see another game from the studio, but given their track record, it’s safe to say that they aren’t going to disappoint us.
