After the triumph of Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios is shifting gears and stepping away from a potential Baldur's Gate 4 – and that is a good thing.
Fresh off the triumph of Baldur's Gate 3, which has been praised as a timeless masterpiece in the fantasy role-playing genre, it's only natural for Larian Studios to think about their next move. While many have been eagerly anticipating Baldur's Gate 4, the studio has chosen to take a different path with their next project, one that separates them from the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
Baldur's Gate 4 Is Not Going To Happen
In a recent interview with GameSpot during GDC, Larian CEO Swen Vincke revealed that when considering the studio's future endeavors, his initial inclination was to expand the Baldur's Gate franchise. However, as internal discussions progressed, Larian came to the conclusion that such a direction would be contrary to the essence of the studio's identity:
"That's not what we were 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."
Larian Studios decided to make a sequel to Divinity: Original Sin. Vincke admitted that the story in the first game didn't get the focus it needed, which led to some shortcomings. With Original Sin 2, they made significant improvements to the story.
So if Larian were to make a Baldur's Gate 4, they wouldn't want it to be just more of the same.
We think this is the right way to go, and since Baldur's Gate 3 received so much praise and positive feedback, it leaves little room to improve for a fourth installment.