Well, Swen has spoken, but the good news is that...
News & UpdatesLarian said that their next project will dwarf BG3 , so I am really looking forward to it , they did great on bg3 I can only imagine how awesome the project that can possibly dwarf it will be , not to mention larian will be completely unchained in this new project , their lore , their story everything will be by them so it will either exceed expectations or fall really flat , I hope it's the former.
I think they said their next project isn't the one that will dwarf BG3, thats the one they want to do after their next one.
And quote "Vincke says the next game won't be Divinity: Original Sin 3, and that it will be "different than what you think it is" but that it's "still familiar." Elsewhere, Vincke said that the new project will "dwarf" the scope of Baldur's Gate 3, which would be quite impressive given the scope of that game."
I really hope it's the next release.
He also said that the next project is to be the stepping stone for the big project that follows. The big one isn't next, it's coming afterwards.
BG3 took 6 years to release. So next release + “the big project” that will dwarf BG3 means I’ll possibly die of old age first. I’m giving the big project about 8 total years to release and I’m 63 now. Bummer.
You can do it! Have faith that you'll live to a ripe old age, and get to play the next Larian game. My Uncle is in his 70s, and still games.
My spouse games too. He’s 73.
Edit: spelling
Actually Swen was talking in an interview this week about how he hates the over extended modern dev cycles and if not for COVID, BG3 would have been a four year project, which is what they want to get back to.
Don't do that, don't give me hope
From what I've seen on their careers page they've been hiring like crazy in recent months, and silver lining of these insane game industry layoffs is that maybe they'll pick up some awesome folks and give them a proper home.
Too bad, I will: given the overwhelming success of BG3, it’s likely Larian can afford to expand their kit and staff enough to ramp up production on future projects.
Weirdly enough I don’t think I’ve been as directly confronted by my own mortality until the suggestion that waiting for a videogame release might be more time than I have left on earth some day
Life is wild
They also have a much bigger team now than they did when BG3 dev work started (plus a lot more money). So bigger won't necessarily mean longer.
They also have made a ton of money off of BG3. With the increased funds for starting the next game, it should be quicker.
Would not surprised if they get tons of people wanting to work on their team given the success of BG3, and the atmosphere of the company.
Like deep thought was not the most powerful computer ever existed...
yeah, literally, I think people misread what is being said tbh
Ah, yes, Dragon Commander 2!
I wouldn’t mind a sci fi themed divinity/bg3 like game
DWARVEN RPG HERE WE GO
ROCK N STONE BROTHA
Cool, looking forward to getting the biggest game ever in 15 years or so
Deep Rock Galactic RPG
Hey! It's offensive to use the word dwarf this way
Please say gnome instead
Gnomenton of house nome is greatly disappointed in you, and would be coming for you however is preoccupied with removing a unwelcome intruder
Don't get angry over gnomenklature.
YOUVE BEEN GMOMED
Larian said that their next project will be dwarf BG3
I'm hyped for an all dwarf crpg with a huge focus on fuck scenes "romance options"
Tbh putting some "chains" on Larian is part of what I loved about bg3. The absurdity and humor in their prior games made it hard for me to take them seriously even when they were trying to be serious. You still felt that humor in bg3, but by reining it in a bit I feel like they really made something poignant.
I have zero concern that their next game will be mechanically amazing, DOS 2 was and BG3 took it to another level, I just hope they'll make something with a tone that is a bit more serious than divinity.
The absurdity and humor in their prior games made it hard for me to take them seriously even when they were trying to be serious. You still felt that humor in bg3, but by reining it in a bit
It sure says a lot when bestiality and bugbear/ogre sex is "reining it in".
Agree. I love how they design encounters and locations. But the world of divinity doesn't seem very interesting and the plots were an absolute mess.
I feel similar. I know that the next game will be mechanically incredible! But I'm not 100% convinced on whether a new Larian-developed IP is gonna hit me anything like as hard as BG3 did, because the Divinity games didn't. They were good, enjoyable games, sure, but not that memorable for their story, world or characters for me, and that's what I need to be really grabbed by a game. I don't think I ever finished DOS, and I finished DOS2 once, but it felt like a bit of a slog by the end. Whereas I've already played BG3 multiple times.
It was a 6 year wait from DoS2 to BG3, though hopefully it is much faster cause it'll be an original IP. (3 yrs for DoS1 to 2)
They make such amazing games. I've been a fan since DoS2.
BG3 was also being developed during the COVID lockdowns, so that had to have slowed them down a little.
WotC treating people with respect? What is this comedy hour at the Elfsong?
[Performance]: Let out a huge fart
applause
That brought me to tears, so beautiful!
Something wet, squidgy and warm fills the seat of your trousers, accompanied by only a pathetic puff of flatulence that is audible to no one.
Shat yourself
Everyone within 5m of you can smell what you ate for dinner percolating in your trousers. Passive Nauseous Cloud. Disadvantage on Charisma saving throws until long rest. Removable with water, soap, and a sponge.
Damn it, I can hear that in the Narrator's voice exactly 🤣
Normally, I'd doubt the authenticity of comments like this, but given that my character recently liberated the goblin camp with their face covered in worg shit, it seems very plausible.
Dont tell me if its fake, I want to believe
Finally, a use for the Poo Scraper!
Looking forward to a future Volo's guidebook that features ascended Astarion, Karlach willingly serving Zariel, and Shadowheart having abandoned her goddess to serve as a cleric of Tiamat.
Don't forget ambition god Gale, generic drow antagonist Minthara, and Wyll somehow being written into a caricature of his EA self without any of the complexity Larian had written for that incarnation.
Viconia and Sarevok are the poster children for how WotC treats these characters, but the absolute worst for me is Aribeth from Neverwinter Nights being an eager servant of Mephistopheles who arbitrarily spares every ninth soul she encounters.
The thought of Karlach and Wyll being retconned into willingly serving Zariel is enough to make me nauseous.
I'll give credit that at least Aribeth's fate could have happened based on one of the game's endings. So Karlach is probably never going to be working for Zariel again.
Wyll...well, I could see them deciding that he's more interesting if he's stuck working for Mizora.
Raphael returning as a hero...
But on a serious note, I guess AA and GG mess too much with the setting to be canon, unless they die very soon but hard to imagine how.
It's almost as if you're describing the BG3 appearances of Sarevok and Viconia.
I guess it really is like poetry, it rhymes...
Cash cow gushing gold? Slap it in the udders and cut off a leg to make a roast for a shareholder event.
BG4$ - By the studio that made Zack & Cody in the house and Barbie 2k!
Now with DLC microtransactions to get a second character or change it's appeareance!
80 dollar pre-order now!
“You’ve used all of your free turns for today! To continue playing use premium currency to select 1 additional turn for $3.99 or 5 additional turns for $9.99”.
Putting the Laff Riot to shame!
Well, BG3 is dead then, money people WoTC took back the rights from the creators and will either put together sweatshop studio or hire a sweatshop studio to squeeze as much money as they can from successful IP.
Was nice knowing y'all, I'll wait and see what Larian makes next, but I expect only steaming pile of extremest from WoTC and Hasbro
Hasbro fired everyone who worked on expanding their IP into movies and games. No D&D movie sequel, no more support for games. The writing was in the wall for Larian, it was time for them to move on.
Wait shit they fired the movie people too???
Are they actually trying to be fucking Konami at this point?
It genuinely feels like the people that have the most money in the world hate making more money.
Right? We'll have to see but I won't be holding my breath.
Nat 20 in [Self]Deception
As for BG3 and its characters - they now belong to WOTC and I think they understand how important they are for the community. I trust that they'll be treated with respect.
Lol. Lmao, even.
No, you misunderstand. Think of it as like the tone of Thor (in God of War Ragnarok) saying "you look like a calm and reasonable person. Are you? A calm and reasonable person?"
It's a veiled threat; they're saying "WOTC will face massive backlash if they don't treat our creation with respect".
I do see it as a threat too. They made a point to pull attention to "how important the characters are to the fans."
Honestly all I want from wotc is to leave them alone, fanfiction writers can take up the post game lore. We don't need them.
But... I can just see them sit around a meeting table in their I don't have a clue what good art is suits discussing how they should milk these characters dry. I hope the fans will show them by never buying anything low value they churn our after Larian is done.
the astarion stans alone will make wotc get a fine taste of what I like to call "bioware experience" wotc haven't met true crazy yet lol
This comment feels so tongue-in-cheek haha.
Because its corpo speak for "I know you will fuck it up but please try not to you absolute buffoons"
More like "I know you will fuck it up but understand that people will have you by the balls if you do"
If they treat them with the same respect they treat their employees their arcs are doomed
" Hello tav, in order for me to communicate with you, please pay me a $5 fee to license my voice lines to you ! "
Don't give them any evil ideas please
To be fair the characters have an ending, anything else coming from WOTC should just be treated as fanfiction imo
To be fair, some fanfiction is inexplicably excellent. There are fanfic writers I'd trust with this.
We're looking at sub-fanfic levels.
What I was about to say. At least fanfic writers actually care about the characters and would try to treat them with respect.
So did the ones from BG1 and 2…
Swen got tired of the Minthara posts. LMAO.
God I hope they add more content for wyll also and finish up karlachs storyline. Minthara is not the only one
He literally says "no new content"
He also said they weren’t done with updates which included some cinematics. I think he means they aren’t developing new content, just finishing what they have already planned.
which is adding cinematics for some endigns and mod support, and probably some other QoL and misc stuff
I mean, I can see and read the tweet, it says "we are not done updating, stuff like mod support and cinematics for some endings is coming, just not new content "
In the very next sentence he said they'd still be adding new ending cinematics and such. He means no new content as in dlc. Karlach had an entire new ending added and it wasn't considered new content. They just wanted to finish up what they couldn't include before. If there's cinematics involved then there's gonna be some in-game content that leads to the ending or gives more context. Content is just a very vague term, but he uses that to describe expansions to the current story. Not alternate endings or adjusted romances. They've already been pumping out that kind of stuff.
Karlach's story is finished lol, she was the first companion to receive something new
Yeah as much as I think her storyline was clearly a victim of being a last-minute addition, I think that ship has sailed. Larian wouldn't have bothered to add the Avernus ending for her, or the hints in the epilogue about a fix for her heart there, if they were planning to retcon all of that to give her a proper cure in a future patch. I'm satisfied with what we got, I think the clear indication that a fix for her situation is more than possible is good enough for me. They probably just want us to headcanon the rest.
I’m sorry, and I know he’s just saying it to be professional, but you know they are not going to treat any of their work with respect. They will sell the rights to BG4 to the highest bidder and I wouldn’t be shocked if EA nabs them
Minthara loot box here we come.
I don't know why but that hit me hard. Probably because of how possible such a scenario could be.
Oh for sure there are probably execs rubbing their hands together at EA laughing about how Larian are idiots.
I would gladly loot her bo...Oh, you mean literal...
EA buying BG4 will be my villian origin story
EA doesn't really want to work with others IP anymore, they'd rather have their own IP and avoid licensing costs. It's part of why the Star Wars exclusivity deal run out. It's why Bioware created Dragon Age and Mass Effect IPs. Hell, it's why EA doesn't make games called FIFA anymore.
That said, EA goes still have some licensed games in the works, but I suspect those are the exceptions at this point.
EA cut ties with FIFA because FIFA wanted $250 million just for the FIFA name. Of all of EA's decisions, this one is actually justifiable.
I’m expecting to see shadowheart in some shit tier mobile game sometime this decade
Oh man, can't wait to see Minthara on Fortnite
"I trust that they'll be treated with respect"
You're kidding right....?
No, they will bugger it straight into the dirt, fill it with all the crap that EVERYONE hates, and then blame someone else for their greed and outright grubby execu-scum behavior. We all know it.
You obviously don't speak corporate.
"I trust that they'll be treated with respect"
In corporate speak, this is a massive word of warning from Larian to WotC, and a massive big dick move. We know WotC probably won't heed the warning, but they will absolutely suffer the consequences.
It is exactly that. "I trust" (This is my intention, but I make no promises) "Treated with respect" (WOTC has to understand what made BG3 important to make the next a success)
Narrator: Wotc did not understand...
You misconstrue understanding for intention. They know, they just don't care.
Only thing we can “trust” is that WOTC will employ MBAs to write the story to squeeze in microtransactions.
Do you want to keep Karlach alive? Place Soul Coin® in her engine. Looks like you are all out of Soul Coin®. Buy more Soul Coin® at The Bank of Baldur™!
I love that I read that in Amelia's voice. Now if we can just get a meme of some WotC big wig having dark urge, we can explain all the shit decisions
Simply Sven is saying to the audience; "The characters in new media by WotC won't be the characters from BG3. Consume at your own discretion."
Since I trust Larian team ande not WotC, I am satisfied only playing BG3. Anything else from WotC, just not worth buying.
Yeah, everyone is clowning on that line but clearly they don't speak corpo. Starting a sentence with "I trust" basically just means "You better damn well do". It just gives you enough cover to maintain a professional relationship, it seems he doesn't want to burn his bridges, which is entirely fair.
The entire thing reeks of "I'm not happy but this is the hand we're dealt so we're making the best of it".
I can only imagine the crumbs Wotc will feed with EA tactics for a quick buck.... I'm wary to see how they can either break the companions characters or the 0.001% they'll actually improve them...
They'll never be able to touch BG3, thankfully. WOTC can pull all the crap it likes, we don't have to accept it if we don't like it.
I can't help but laugh. The idea of WOTC understanding characterization in any capacity is hilarious, considering how watered down their own books have become.
I don’t understand how WOTC owns the characters written by Larian? like they’re literally grabbing complete ownership of someone else’s hard work, passion and creativity, for what? I know they can do it because of the dnd setting but it’s just a bit infuriating
Yeah it does suck but more than likely they had to sign something at the beginning that agreed WoTC at the end of the day had ultimate ownership over any characters created for the game. It’s not terribly surprising but yeah I just hope Larian did get to make a decent chunk of change out of this game and not too much money went to Hasbro.
Going off the report that hasbro made 90 mil from the game and based off sales numbers floating around, then Hasbro probably only had a 8-15% licensing fee so Larian probably kept a good chuck of change.
This is how literally every multimedia franchise deal works
Yeah I mean WOTC has magic cards for these characters that came out well before the games. They’ve always owned them.
The same way that the characters from Jedi: Survivor are owned by Disney and not Respawn Entertainment. Franchise holders wouldn’t license their franchises if they didn’t have ownership of the products, what would be in it for them?
Because many of the characters in BG3 were actually owned by WotC before. All legacy characters of BG1 and 2 were, almost all the nobles in Baldur's Gate are (including Duke Ravenguard), Volo was, etc.
So I am certain the deal was a "You can use all our characters and background and your stories and characters become our ownership." which is a reasonable deal when you let a third party develop in a world you own and something I believe Wizards has done from the start of allowing people make games in the D&D setting.
WoTC owns all things DnD. They contracted with Larian to develop the game, but the ultimate ownership has always been with WoTC.
That's just how work contracts are for anything creative(and a lot non as well). If I make an art piece or song for company that hired me, they own everything I made for them. I can't just start using it on my own independently unless I get permission from them. That would be huge issue in many way: IP ownership, public image, splitting customers between companies and much more.
That's licensing for you. WotC has full ownership of the IP and anything made within it stays with them I'm sure, as per the terms agreed at the beginning of development.
I respect Swen and his whole team so much and I am so very grateful for all that we got – I can’t stop singing their praises; BG3 has become a true phenomenon in so many different ways. If Swen feels that this is the right strategic shift, I am sure this decision wasn’t taken lightly. I am excited for new projects coming from them, and can understand that they felt restricted and desire to change that.
All that being said, I am extremely sad right now – probably more sad than one should feel about this. I am not ready to let these characters go (nor do I trust them to be in good hands when they are not with the people who created them in the first place), and while I appreciate the polishing they’ve done so far, it still hurts that some things just won’t get explored narratively.
Especially Act 3 deserved more attention and continues to deserve it. The fact that they had ideas for a DLC and that it won’t be happening now after all, is just salt in the wound. I loved all the things that I (and so many other players) perceived as little hints in the epilogue party.
I wish Larian the best and will continue to love their work, wherever it takes them, but for now I am just sad.
Same, I'm really heartbroken. I know Larian will make more great games, but it won't be with these characters I've become too connected with. The writing is so wonderful, I absolutely don't trust anyone to continue their stories in a meaningful way to the same standard. I want to help Astarion walk in the sun again, I want to see Shadowheart navigate her new life as a cleric of Selune, I wanna see what mad shit Gale does to piss off Mystra next. I don't want to have to say goodbye to them.
This. This game will stay with me forever, it is one of those few precious things that really touched my soul on a different level. It helped me get through the toughest times in my life so far and the announcement makes me very sad. The fact that this game might be 'it' for a long years to come and no BG4 from Larian is heartbreaking. If I could hug the developers I would, they really got me out of a very dark place with their little game. It is a gift, and I will not forget it. Astarion out.
I haven't been keeping up on the modding front but if it's anything like what modders have done for skyrim then you can expect a lot of new stories with these characters.
To many people this'll never be the same, it's always gonna be fanfiction.
For what it's worth, not all fanfiction is bad. There are some really great writers out there.
Exactly, I don’t think I trust modders here either lol.
I used a big modlist in Skyrim just to make it livelier without tinkering myself. You can definitely tell when any fanfiction portions pop up, and not in a good way.
I've been playing Skyrim since 2013 and enjoy what the modding community has created - the vast options to choose from and to personalize one's game really added to the continued replayability of Skyrim (especially with follower mods like Inigo from smartbluecat, for me personally).
While I am excited to see what the amazing modders will create for Baldur's Gate 3 as soon as they get the modding tools, I am uncertain if they will be able to add to the world and the narratives in a way that will feel cohesive - not due to a lack of talent, since many of them are very talented and also interested in keeping things "true to the lore", but because for me the voice acting is kind of the deal breaker.
Using AI voices is just unethical and I wouldn't want to use a mod that is based on that - so, for new content with companion reactions they would need to hire the VAs ... which sounds like an almost impossible task to me. I know there have been cases of hired VAs for Skyrim as well (the follower mod Kaidan comes to mind), but then there's also the writing aspect - many characters have such a destinct way of expressing themselves which is a creation by their writers.
I don't want to be too pessimistic though, no one knows what the future holds, and I am open-minded when it comes to new content with these characters by the modding community - just slightly cautious if it will feel in line with what their writers envisioned.
Even with all the neat things Modders are capable of - the Biggest hinderence is the Voice Acting. In Skyrim, everyone has pretty lackluster performances or is voiced by the same few people. Splicing voice lines together or, more recently, using AI worked fine. So much of who the companions are is their stellar voice work - and that is not able to be replaced by AI. At best - a good imitation VA (like Sheogorath has in the Skyrim modding community)
Modding for BG3 currently doesn't have the ability to create new dialog, new cutscenes, new locations, or new quests. It's possible it will be able to do all that at some point, but I wouldn't consider it particularly likely.
This is all so bittersweet. I am 100% on board with them moving on from the game if that’s what they feel is best for them, but man am I going to miss these characters. I honestly wish that the characters would leave WITH them - I’m sad that the possibility exists we’ll see them down the line in lesser versions than where they ended off in our playthroughs but it is what it is.
I am heartened by the fact a few months ago I knew nothing about DnD and these characters and Larian were able to create a world full of NPCs and companions so fun that I’m fond of them all now. I’m sure I will be just as fond of the next cast of NPCs and companions they make.
I really thought Withers was foreshadowing something with his whole "faerun might need you lot again" wink wink. But this news isn't really surprising and this game still has more story content than most other story based games, even the ones with expansions. Can't complain.
I really thought Withers was foreshadowing something with his whole "faerun might need you lot again" wink wink
He was. The hints from Withers were added into the epilogue because Larian was originally planning to make DLC, but then scrapped it.
"As for the characters of BG3, they belong to WotC now. I trust they will be treated with respect"
You better know they won't...
This is probably the worst news yet. No dlc? Fine. No BG4? Depressing, but they gotta do what they gotta do. But the BG3 origins being owned by WotC? Actually heartbreaking.
These characters mean so much to so many people, I can respect them moving on from BG if they don’t have the passion for it anymore, but handing these characters over to WotC to milk and ultimately completely ruin is unforgivable.
Torn emotions.... I would love more of the characters stories from larian or a sequel a few years later with the seeds that Larian planted with some younger NPCs. That being said... I am also interested with what they will create moving forward now that they have BG3 money and experience. Like what will they be able to create without WotC / Hasbro looming over them. They will have total freedom and can do great things
It's better to end on a high note at least.
I’m hoping “new new content” just means no DLC or sequel. There are still characters that are unfinished and in dire need of work.
Send Wyll emergency provisions, man is starving, and what little food he does have is bugged to shit.
wyll and karlach desperately need better story endings. Wyll is so lackluster.
I think Karlach got a fine ending, I don’t mind that we haven’t slain all of Avernus yet— we’re on the path to getting her a good heart.
Wyll, on the other hand, can’t even remember he’s gotten engaged. He’s not even sure where he is half the time.
I understand and agree that it has a beginning, middle, and an end, and it does not need more; but I’m just not ready to say goodbye to all the characters and the world I’ve immersed myself in, and hearing all the news of cancelled dlc and them already working on a different project entirely makes me want to curl into a corner and weep
700 hours in and I'm still in the middle of a co-op playthrough, but my time in BG3 is definitely winding down slowly. I've been so immersed in this game that I'm kind of adrift and don't know what to do with myself afterwards.
So yeah, can relate to the feeling of wanting to cry in a corner after hearing that this universe isn't going to continue anymore.
Same. If there's any game I want DLC for, it's this one. I don't really understand why they won't make DLC to such a great game with awesome characters, but I just have to accept it.
These devs have been working on BG3 every day for over 6 years so it's understandable that they want to start something new. No matter how much I wanted an expansion 😭
Yeah honestly sitting on a bit more (was really sad to hear it this morning so was a bit shocked!) and reading more into it I actually totally get why they have done this. They made an absolutely incredible game and if they move forward with their own IP, they have full control and can design a system which works for them and they will not be beholden to a license holder. I think they always said they found it difficult to deal with the insane powercreep post level 12 and didn't want any expansion/DLC to raise the level cap, which limits them somewhat.
I also think Larian/Sven are really disappointed that despite excellent profits, Hasbro/WOTC laid off the entire team a Hasbro/WOTC who got Larian to make BG3 and supported them through the process, despite BG3 being an absolute hit and getting so many people into DnD. Larian does not need the underlying DnD IP to make an excellent game.
I'm just wondering what he means by "new content." I'm not expecting anything huge but I was really hoping that in an eventual, hypothetical definitive edition, they'd add some new content. Wyll, for example, feels like such an afterthought compared to the other companions and I'd really like to see him expanded on a bit more.
I'm curious what he considers 'new content' as well. I'm not expecting them to add the upper city, going to Avernus, or anything like that, but act 3 still leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to reactivity. For instance, I'm still disappointed by the lack of any companion reactions to Durge's decision regarding Bhaal. A bit wild that you can and your companions are just like "ok :|".
Also the content discrepency between Durge and Astarion vs Durge and every other companion is uh, pretty disheartening lol.
Also the content discrepency between Durge and Astarion vs Durge and every other companion is uh, pretty disheartening lol.
My Durge, looking at Shadowheart: "OMG this is fantastic, she doesn't remember anything, I don't remember anything, her god constantly tries to punish her into being an asshole, my god constantly tries to punish me into being an asshole, we have so much in common, we can help each other resist, we can understand each other like no one else does, this is gonna be great!"
The game: "Have an incoherently timed Act 2 cutscene and a single line six patches in where you lie to her. Best I can do."
I'm a diehard Durgeheart fan but yea it's pretty lackluster, you'd think two amnesiacs groomed to be their gods' chosen would have some moments to bond more.
i had the same thoughts. I’m cool with no major expansion/DLC (though I would’ve bought them in a heartbeat) but I’m still really hoping for fleshed out companion and quest reactivity. It’s so good at times which makes it even more jarring when it’s bad. off the top of my head a lot of durge stuff including what you mentioned and some of the people who recognize you in act 2, not being able to share some big information you can learn poking around in some rooms in act 2, not being able to at least ask the gondians for a second opinion on Karlach’s heart… polishing interactivity/reactivity in acts 2 & 3 would really go a long way imo.
Mod support is easily one of the best final updates for any game. If you do right unlike Skyrim on consoles (that shit sucks)
Larian mod support hasn't been great on previous games. There are still issues created in later patches of Divinity Original Sin 2 that mean that modding simply hasn't worked properly for years
The characters in WotC's hands...?I guess....
Always have been
It's such a bummer how that's a fundamental part of working with IP. The devs, writers, and artists created these characters and breathed life into them and yet in the end they own nothing.
I just wish new content hadn’t been teased in the epilogue update, it makes this announcement extra disappointing. I understand their reasoning for wanting to move on but selfishly I was hoping for more.
Thanks, I hate this
This sounds like extremely minimal updates tbh. Based on this, I would guess 2 more patches before the updates end. Doesn’t even seem like a definitive edition is in the works. Understand the choice to move on, but pretty sad that we’ll never get the DLC they started, or the content that was teased in the epilogue.
I'm not sure they can even release a definitive edition. Like legally speaking. Because their rights to the DnD universe and all the characters have already expired. That's what he was saying. If that's the case, the only people who can technically make a definitive edition are WoTC. But like, do we really want them to be the ones to change the story and characters? That seems very problematic.
If there is no definitive edition I’d be extremely disappointed. Hearing that there will be no new content is not promising at all. That being said I am hoping WoTC will do the characters justice if they choose to continue. I’m willing to dish out the money for more time with these characters.
Aw... No new content. I was hoping for artificers, sub classes, and some new races. Mods will have to fill that hole.
Next: Save Vampire The Masquerade.
If they do... then Larian will probably become the one studio that will be known for saving dying (or just not as widely known) IPs. They'll come, pick it up, make a success, and move on to the next IP that needs their help - like some kind of super hero
The studio we need, not the studio we deserve.
"they now belong to WOTC and .... I trust they'll be treated with respect."
Will be cleaning food out of my keyboard for hours after this one.
It's a pity. I love both D&D and the Larian way of building games.
If it were a big publisher, they would have milked it dry, and me with it. Maybe it's for the best...
Looking forward to their next game!
"As for BG3 and its characters - they now belong to WOTC" - It would be better for them to be sent to Avernus. WOTC is a anti consummer and anti fan cancer.
Edit: I just scrolled comments. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is aware of it.
As a table top player and lover of BG3 - what made BG3 this amazing game was Larain, not wotc. DnD is a fine system but that is not what led me to the game AT ALL. Before this game I never really enjoyed the turn based stuff in video games. Larian and their amazing team is what made this game the success that it is. Fuck haboro / wotc.
"it was a story with a beginning, middle and an end and it doesn't need more."
This is precisely what I've been saying to people arguing that the game needs DLC. Yes it sucks that we won't be getting any more D&D stuff from Larian, but the game did what it had to do, and whatever Larian has in store for us next will be just as good as anything they could have made for BG3, if not better now that they're delving back into their own IP.
Honestly all I want is some proper closure for Karlach's engine post epilogue, maybe like an animated short or webcomic could do
Tbh that seems like a good plot for the novels to continue.
Or like just run a campaign.
The game didn't need DLC - but it would have fit in easily enough. For instance, Avernus would fit quite easily for a storyline with multiple companions and antagonists, as could having an upper city integrated into act 3 as a DLC. Many of the character stories are open ended endings - which are fine as endings, but aren't hard to imagine expanding.
I don't know who you were talking to, but that's the dynamic I usually saw. Where people were hoping for more DLC / more content about the characters we care about, but that the ending was in a reasonable state if we didn't get that.
When I finished my first 100% ‘this is my personal canon’ run the other week, this definitely was the thought I had when I reached the end of the credits and the withers scene.
I didn’t honestly want to admit it but it is a complete story, and it’s done. It’s not like Mass Effect 1 where there is a clear narrative path to the next chapter.
Would it be a good idea for Larian to just extend the story or write an entirely new one just to keep things going? I dunno, mixed feelings on that one. I remember playing Dragon Age Origins Awakening and thinking… ‘sure, the storyline about the architect is interesting and all, but it’s not the real story that hooked me in…..’
I still feel there’s room to expand the level cap, as the looooong no-levelling experience through almost all of Act 3 feels like the only part that needs some attention. But yeah. Not happy that we won’t meet up with the gang again, but it’s not like BG3 needed another chapter.
This is like that time I finished reading a 12-volume fantasy series and spent the next month feeling lost and disorientated.
I grieved the end of it. Rereading is not the same. I will never experience that same level of immersion.
It was beautiful, it was fleeting, and any attempt at replication will ruin my bittersweet, joyful grief.
Thinking on it, I really have to respect Larian for prioritizing their integrity and confidence in their studio and the product that they created. They know BG3 can stand on its own without additional content and they're allowing it to do just that.
Of course I'm sad I'm not getting an Avernus/Karlach DLC and I really want to spend more time with the characters I've emotionally attached to, but sometimes it's a good thing to bow out when you're on top. Looking forward to whatever the new patches have left for us and I'll be eagerly awaiting Larian's next move.
BG3 is popular now but just wait it is going to age like fine wine
no microtransactions, no dlc, playable quality game on release with additional content patch and regular bug fixes?
Yea Larian hit a homerun and they know it
They need to patch out withers blue balling us at the end.
Can’t wait for BG3 characters being thrown into every WOTC DnD product and crossover possible if they haven’t been already
So Withers is spouting bullshit then?
“For now” my ass. Fuckin dusty ass skeleton the fuck u sayin, it’s over :(
As a life long nerd and D&D player, with shelves of novels and rule books: Current WotC is crap, and they will absolutely misuse or just forget about these characters. It's a real shit show over there right now.
Nah the future of the characters belongs to the fanfic writers now.
Well that sucks
The tl;dr is probably that WOTC were fucking shocked at the amount of money it made and came hounding them with demands for all the disgusting practices you can think of to milk it dry. So they were told to go kick rocks and do it themselves.
"I trust they'll be treated with respect" yeah no, that isn't happening
Here "I trust" is PR-speak for "I regret it won't be the case but it's out of my control".
Some of the story has a beginning, middle, and end. And then other parts of it has a beginning, a middle, and then a teased end during the epilogue that we never get to actually play out.
Agree. This is probably my favourite game ever but... there's definitely points for continuation and development.
The guy who posted yesterday blaming the lack of expansions on WoTC is feeling so vindicated right now. Sven phrased it well, but there can be no doubt that WoTC is responsible for the decision not to add more content.
I mean its a baller move to drop Goty, win over a huge community and introduce a lot of new players to the genre. And also releasing a finished game, doing huge updates to make it as good as it can be and not monetize it beyond initial pricing. Receiving huge acclaim and adoration of millions of fans only to say; "yeah we made the game as best we can and adding to it wouldnt be make sense, so we will just start our next project instead of milking this one"
Like, that alone proves that whatever game Larian may release, good or bad. They have an all time support and trust from their fans.
I dont want any more games with the BG3 characters following their story.
This was not that kind of game.
I just wonder how they're going to reconcile letting go of the turn based battle juxtaposed with DND mechanics that made the game so wildly popular. A huge population of people I've talked to about the game credited the game as being able to give them entry to DND in a way previously inaccessible to them and without that... the spiritual successor or whatever comes next for larian might look like bg3 in one way or another but I'm hard pressed to believe it could ever near the impact it had.
I'm seeing a lot of defense for the decision made here and I suuuuper understand it, it just feels like another one of those things where a company hits it right on the fuckin head for what everyone really wanted it and now are pivoting away from that to try and funnel the fandom into their own IP... but the IP isn't going to have what made bg3 what it was...
I don't know.
I have a lot of confused feelings about this whole situation. I'm not trying to shit on anyone. Hasbro sucks major ass for fucking this up, if I'm understanding how this unfolded.
I was braced for no DLC, but no future for the universe period and the culmination of all the right dynamics for this game just ending here with the singular installment feels bunk asf. Nothing is ever going to be able to come close to the perfect storm of combining elements of everything people had been looking for like this.
Ok Swen now please make a game with the Discworld IP and I can rest in peace
BG3 is the only game I do not regret preordering years ago.
Larian's next game, whatever it is, I will break my "no preordering" rule for.
Looking forward to another trip into the magic land of Ear Lay Axis
I really hope they take on a sci-fi rpg next, imagine a galaxy spaning space opera, with Bg3 gameplay.
Things I can EASILY see WOTC doing with their ‘respectful treatment’:
-Minthara becoming a villain she never was -Karlach confirmed dead -Gale becoming an evil god -Wyll? Who was that again? -Shadowheart’s messy divorce and new life as a single mom -Lae’zel “ascending” -Astarion also being twisted into a villain (WOTC does not know the meaning of nuance) -Jaheira, Halsin and Misc try polyamory but it doesn’t work and now things are SUPER awkward.
Yeah…I hope Larian gets to keep them somehow.
I'm grieving and I feel like the characters I love are in a doomed hostage situation they can't be freed from, but I take some small comfort in the idea that somewhere Hasbro execs are absolutely furious at Swen's digs at them and green with envy about how Larian's excellent community management leads us to extend goodwill and willingness to support even a completely unknown new project to them even through our disappointment and we rightly mistrust and place the anger at Hasbro's feet for this.
It's a story with a lot of NOTICABLE cut content..
They should make a Pathfinder 2e game. And it should have a Numerian Android that I can smooch.
They've already said that DOS:3 isn't the next game. I'm just wondering what system the next game will be?
(Can you imagine WOTC/Hasbro pissing off Larian so much that they start making games for competing systems?)
Based original IP incoming 2028