Baldur's Gate fans, new and old, will remember where they were when they first heard that dark horse Larian Studios would not be developing the next game. How could any dev walk away from an achievement like Baldur's Gate 3, a masterpiece which teased a vanishingly rare "10" out of this stingy scribe, one of only two ever given? Sadly, this is the reality in which we live, and IP-holder Wizards of the Coast has already moved on, actively courting other developers, with RPG studios lining up to throw their hats in the ring.
That's according to Eugene Evans (thanks, Eurogamer), senior vice president of digital strategy and licensing for Wizards of the Coast and parent company Hasbro. Evans spoke to PC Gamer following Baldur's Gate 3's history-making BAFTA win, where it became the first game ever to sweep all five major GOTY awards (the others being The Golden Joysticks, TGA, DICE and GDC), explaining that:
"We're now talking to lots of partners and being approached by many partners who are embracing the challenge of what the future of the Baldur's Gate franchise looks like. So we certainly hope it's not another 25 years, as it was from Baldur's Gate 2 to 3 before we answer that. But we're going to take our time and find the right partner, the right approach, and the right product that could represent the future of Baldur's Gate."