With Larian Out Of The Picture, Will The Baldur’s Gate IP Be In Safe Hands?

As much as it pains me to say this, chances are that we’re not going to get another phenomenal game like Baldur’s Gate 3 for a very very long time. Not because I don’t think that it’s possible, or that a sequel is not more or less guaranteed at this point, but because the key ingredient in that equation is no longer present.

That’s right dear readers, Larian has officially washed their hands of the IP and will no longer be involved with the franchise going forward. And you know what? Good for them.

They worked incredibly hard on the game and instead of milking it for all it’s worth, they decided to step away and do their own thing going forward.

Studio head Swen Vincke has already gone on record stating his intent to return to the studio’s own Divinity IP, and even more recent comments heavily suggest that work on their next big game is already underway.

So What Happens To Baldur’s Gate?

Well, reports have started circulating that IP holder Wizards of the Coast is already hard at work looking for a studio to make their next game. And considering that Baldur’s Gate 3 sold a whopping 15 million units, this was inevitable.

But as so often happens in this industry, the entity holding the rights to an IP isn’t always the best choice to oversee it.

Wizards of the Coast "now talking to lots of partners" about next Baldur's Gate https://t.co/Rv3R9pqdxM pic.twitter.com/mziStE1Psm

— Eurogamer (@eurogamer) April 16, 2024

Because in the last year or so, WotC has actively destroyed much of the goodwill they had accumulated over their lifetime. To simplify the whole situation a bit, the company made some changes to their Open Game License, and among other things, tried to get their grubby little mitts on the earnings of thousands of D&D creators.

The full situation is a bit too much to go into here, and frankly not about video games, but we will link you to a Dickbreaker article that goes into a lot more detail.

And so all this does is prove that WotC is a corporation like any other. They are not our friends, they do not have the best interests of their community at heart, they do not even care about their own employees, and they will stop at nothing to maximize their profits.

So if you’re wondering what happens to the Baldur’s Gate IP going forward? Well, let’s just try not to imagine that shall we?

A Bleak Future

As I keep reiterating again and again, the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 did not come about in a vacuum. The reason why this game is as incredible as it is is because of Larian Studios and the people who work there.

Remove them from the equation, and the game would never have been what it is.

And somewhere within Hasbro’s corporate hive, some people have probably realized this. Executives in this industry aren’t exactly known for their foresight, but against all odds, it seems that somewhere a realization has taken place.

Earlier this year Wizards of the Coast canceled at least 5 upcoming video game projects and committed to scaling back its game development activities.

First scoop of 2023 is a sad one: Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast has canceled at least five video games and eliminated just under 15 positions (so far) as it curtails its gaming ambitions https://t.co/oZpgzLis1X

— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) January 3, 2023

Either this happened because of simple cost-cutting measures, or because they realized that they couldn’t pump out new Baldur’s Gate titles every 2 years. Regardless, a number of projects have been canceled, but the company is still not giving up on video games completely.

Fate Hangs In The Balance

Now we don’t exactly know if any of these projects would have been great games or not because they never saw the light of day.

And no, Hasbro not having any faith in these titles is not an indication of them being bad. What the average gamer thinks is a good game and what a company like Hasbro thinks is a good game are two completely different things.

But their commitment to longer development cycles and following in the footsteps of Baldur’s Gate 3 is a very good sign. It means that they are at least trying to understand that good games need great studios behind them and the time and resources to persevere.

Additionally, they already have studios under their umbrella that could be making the next game in the series for them. And even if none of their internal studios are up to the task, there are still dozens of other studios that would love to take a crack at the Baldur’s Gate IP.

So as far as options are concerned, Wizards of the Coast are not lacking. The real question is, can they find a group of developers as talented and as dedicated to their craft as Larian?

But more importantly, can the company resist the urge to bog the next game down with predatory practices that are quickly growing in the industry? Unfortunately, only time will tell.