Baldur's Gate 3 launch slams into Steam like a rogue iceberg, but the servers refuse to sink

Two new Baldur's Gate 3 mods have turned the game into a third-person RPG. 

Larian boss Swen Vincke has revealed that the studio is currently working on a number of updates to critically-acclaimed RPG Baldur’s Gate 3. Among updates coming to the game, it is slated to get Hotfix 4, its first major patch with over 1,000 fixes and tweaks, and a second patch that will bring in some fan-requested features to the game.

The first Baldur’s Gate 3 patch will include over 1,000 fixes and adjustments, according to Larian Studios.

I've struggled at times on Baldur's Gate 3's normal difficulty, so I can only imagine how it feels for players who are brand new to D&D or Larian RPGs. With very little explanation, it chucks hotbars full of terms like «bonus action,» «cantrip,» spell slot," and so much more at players. If it feels like you missed a tutorial, you're not the only one, but in an interview with PC Gamer last week, Larian founder Swen Vincke contested that there is a tutorial in Baldur's Gate 3, just not a traditional step-by-step guide. It's all of Act 1. 

In every genre of video games, there are the “standard bearers.” These are the titles that everyone holds in the highest esteem because they “changed the game” or redefined how the genre, or the video game space as a whole, should think about things. In our modern era, there are fewer opportunities for titles to “change the game,” so when one appears to come around, people praise it. The arrival of Baldur’s Gate 3 is one such example. It might look or feel like an “old-school RPG but with modern updates,” but it’s so much more than that, as many have noted.

Baldur's Gate 3 is an exceptional game: a grognardy CRPG with complex and barely-explained D&D rules and a massive mainstream success, even before its console releases. With Diablo 4's always-online grind providing the perfect contrast, it's come across to some as a victory over malignant modern videogame trends: Where other companies build cosmetics stores and battle passes, Larian has succeeded through good old fashioned respect for player freedom and quality craftwork, or so goes some popular posts and articles. A handful of game developers, meanwhile, have cautioned against oversimplifying the lesson, arguing that Baldur's Gate 3 is an anomaly that even big studios won't be able to replicate. Online arguing has ensued.

Those of us lucky enough to play on PC have been enjoying Baldur’s Gate 3 to no end, and PlayStation owners will soon be able to join in all the fun — but that begs the question, will Baldur’s Gate 3 come to Xbox?

Baldur's Gate 3 reached over 800,000 concurrent players on Steam on Sunday, a peak reached within a few days of its launch.

In case you missed it, Baldur’s Gate 3 has left early access and is available now on PC. Thus far, it’s reached a peak concurrent player count of 814,666 on Steam, becoming the second-biggest launch on the platform for the year. Of course, even with a 75 to 100-hour campaign with heaps of replay value, one has to ask: Expansion?

Launching in full for PC last week after spending nearly three years in early access, Baldur’s Gate 3 has got off to a stellar start, perhaps even to a level that’s caught many by surprise. On top of widespread praise, the game has been pulling in players in drove, having enjoyed a peak concurrent user count of over 814,000 on Steam (as per SteamDB), which is the ninth-highest concurrent user count a game has ever seen on the platform. All the excitement surrounding it has also boosted the upcoming PS5 version’s sales.

Larian Studios boss Swen Vincke didn't anticipate Baldur's Gate 3 to be even a fraction as successful as it has proven to be.

On Saturday, Larian founder Swen Vincke watched Baldur's Gate 3's concurrent player count on Steam break 800,000, earning it a spot among Steam's all-time most-played games. His reaction?