Hasbro Threatens More D&D Games as Baldur's Gate 3 Dev Chases Greener Pastures | Push Square
31.03.2024 - 01:13
/ pushsquare.com
/ Swen Vincke
Having had a few days to sit with the news that Larian Studios, creators of 2023's breakout RPG, Baldur's Gate 3, has scrapped plans for DLC and will not be developing the inevitable next game in the series, we can't help but feel the move was a deeply-baller one. Going out on the highest possible note, outdoing even BioWare's iconic earlier entries, it's time to move on for Larian, and we'll gladly follow. Parent company Hasbro, however, wasted no time, threatening still-in-shock audiences that more D&D games are on the way: «Watch this space.»
Following the interview with IGN in which Larian director Swen Vincke revealed the studio would leave the series behind, Hasbro provided a statement to the outlet, thanking the developer for its hard work, work that netted Hasbro some $90 million for little effort (then fired most of the team responsible): «Larian has been an incredible partner, and together we are proud of the success of Baldur's Gate 3. Watch this space for more on some awesome D&D games we are bringing to life through Hasbro's studios and our network of licensing partners.»
The tale of how Larian acquired the Baldur's Gate IP from Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, is fascinating enough, but suffice it to say the developer spent many years chasing that dream. Selling more than 10 million copies across all platforms, this massive success will no doubt allow Larian to pursue its creative ambitions without splitting the proceeds. Previously, the Belgian developer said it would return to its excellent Divinity: Original Sin series, and even more recently, the studio is already hard at work on its next game.
Dev will move on to something new
Natural 10
Are you excited about the future of the Baldur's Gate series? What do you think of Larian's decision to leave it all behind? Let us know in the comments section below.
Khayl is Push Square's Australian correspondent, a reporter who regularly catches the competition napping. With five years of experience as a freelance journalist and mercenary wordsmith, RPGs are his first great love, but strategy and tactics games are a close second, genres in which he is only too happy to specialize.
Glad Larian is moving on. I can't wait to see what they are working on next. Hope they take a serious vacation first though. Well deserved.
Good news for Larian. Honestly, unlocking mod support means it will live on forever, with fans creating entire modules and adventures out of it, you'll see, so they didn't need to do anything else. But the more Hasbro tightens its grip on D&D, the more its slipping through their fingers, and if the last year or so tells us anything, we may need to be ready for some bad times ahead until they're done milking it and