At GDC 2024, Larian Studios founder and Baldur’s Gate 3 director Swen Vincke announced that it wasn’t planning any DLC or expansions for the critically acclaimed RPG. It even ruled out a potential Baldur’s Gate 4 in favor of something new.
However, when speaking to IGN, Vincke revealed that the developer did begin working on DLC for the title and even considered a sequel. “Because of all the success, the obvious thing would have been to do a DLC, so we started on one. We started even thinking about Baldur’s Gate 4. But we hadn’t had closure on BG3 yet, and to jump forward on something new felt wrong.
“We had also spent a whole bunch of time converting the system into a video game, and we wanted to do new things. There are a lot of constraints on making Dungeons and Dragons, and 5th Edition is not an easy system to put into a video game. We had all these ideas of new combat we wanted to try out and they were not compatible.”
While the team worked on a massive Epilogue and new gameplay features with its patches, it was ultimately unsure how to proceed with DLC. Upon actually getting to the task, Vincke reveals, “You could see the team was doing it because everyone felt like we had to do it, but it wasn’t really coming from the heart, and we’re very much a studio from the heart. It’s what got us into misery, and it’s also been the reason for our success.”
After a Christmas vacation, Vincke decided to cancel the DLC. “[I] came back, and I told the team, ‘You know we’re not going to do it. We’re going to shift around, and we’re going to start doing these other things that we talked about, that we planned on doing before we started on Baldur’s Gate.’
“Those were always the plans for afterwards, we have two games we want to make, and we have lots of concepts. So, let’s have closure on Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s been great. We’ve done our job. It’s a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Let’s pass the torch to another studio to pick up this incredible legacy.”
Surprisingly, or perhaps not, the team was “elated” by the news. “I thought they were going to be angry at me because I just couldn’t muster the energy. I saw so many elated faces, which I didn’t expect, and I could tell they shared the same feelings, so we were all aligned with one another. And I’ve had so many developers come to me after and say, ‘Thank god.’
“I’m always the one where it starts with the initial idea and then I give it to the team. They start iterating it and turn it into something much better. During Baldur’s Gate 3, I pitched them what the next game would be…If I see they’re excited, I’ll say, ‘Okay, let’s do that.’ If they’re not, it’s back to the drawing board. So they were very excited about a couple of the things we were planning on doing.
“Then the pivot to start doing Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC was expected because it’s what you do…We didn’t have any antagonism against Baldur’s Gate 4 or DLC, but the heart wasn’t there. It was more routine work than actually being excited. Now we have the excitement back in the room, and that’s a big important thing.”
As for the developer’s next title, Vincke unfortunately confirmed that it’s not Divinity: Original Sin 3. It’s “different than what you think it is” but “still familiar.” Earlier this year, he noted that it would be “quite some time” before discussing the next title, but after the release of Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian is encouraged to “push many boundaries.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. It’s sold way over 10 million units and even though DLC isn’t happening, it will still receive updates, including mod support and cross-platform play. Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.
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