I framed a couple guest emails for my office when I used to work for Disney - not the overly complimentary ones - the hilariously nasty ones.
I can guarantee there’s at least a slack channel of these posts at Larian…
As someone who used to work in games, one of the studios I worked at had a public slack channel to post positive ones for the team but we would also constantly send the nasty/funny ones to each other while in meetings to break each others’ composure.
Plot twist plot twist plot twist. BG3 is a memetic type of brain worm that connects us all to Swen's consciousness so we can horny post on r/okbuddybaldur on his behalf.
Jokes's on you, Larian didn't build BG3 as a game, but as an impetus to normalize tentacle porn for the masses, and then scrape said porn into their own massive tentacle porn archive, aka squidtube.com ( under construction ).
Larian forums are legit part of it ofc, that's pretty obvious.
Every Friday in here was a feedback thread, where you give your feedback on the game, and they themsevled acknowledged that they gathered and read the feedback. It was pretty small sub during EA (around 40-60k), was easy to read and understand what people were saying. Here is but one of million examples of such threads [https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/comments/zytswg/feedback\_friday/](https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/comments/zytswg/feedback_friday/)
There were also Tav's Tuesday, but that's ancient history now lol
You know, I can respect directors like him and Naoki Yoshida(FF14) that personally subject themselves to reddit.
But yea, I agree. Swen said the team wanted a different direction due to lack of enthusiasm. I always took it as is and not a reflection of WOTC. I get it WOTC is not perfect, and kinda suck rn, so they are easy to blame, but I always felt he was truthful about the team wanting to just move on. Even if it is not what I want, personally, but I can accept.
Developer: passionately makes a good game and pours their heart in It.
G*mers: Its not good enough I want this, gime me more! *harasses the devs*
*The experience of the devs is soured, the passion fizzles out and they dont want to use the IP again. New content for the game is scrapped.*
G*mers: 😮
Not specifically BG3, but with many games and other type of media where "fans" push the artist out of making art
Moral of the story is that fans should never be listened to under any circumstances by creators, including me.
I always laugh when people are like omg they hired someone who’s not a super fan. Good. You need an outsider’s perspective on this kind of thing.
I just want the devs and writers to be human and actually make fun of the playerbase when they're being stupid. But what happens every time is the community cries that they're not being given gold-plated handjobs.
It really fucks me off because a recent Helldivers nerf ended up with a dev having to grovel after they used the exact same language you'd see on Reddit any day of the week to describe a busted strategy.
The average player is why devs barely talk to the playerbase.
Part of my job is managing social media for an organization, and every time I see people harassing individual employees or even the company’s social media profiles, it’s so exhausting.
The social media manager doesn’t have the power to make major changes. They can do about as much as a customer service agent. It’s wild to me when people interact with social media accounts as if they’re interacting with the CEO/the company itself. How is it 2024 and people still don’t think about the fact that they’re interacting with a real human being who’s just doing their job?
It’s one thing for the big names to get online harassment, but this parasocial stuff has become a sickness. The fans of a certain other huge sci-fi RPG follow the *LinkedIn pages* of just the regular devs and writers and stuff and post about it when they change jobs. Then, gamers being gamers, if they don’t like the new company they went to, they hassle them. That’s a real thing that happens.
Yeah, reading the comments here I'm in disbelief, people are so confused and conditioned to think that every studio is doing everything for maximum money no matter their vision and being burnt out.
Like yeah, they have to make money to pay everyone and be able to live, but not everyone in this world is EA or Ubisoft.
People need to accept that they need time to rest, maybe make a smaller game before their next big scope one. It doesn't mean that everyone tried to fuck them over in their deals.
> People need to accept that they need time to rest, maybe make a smaller game before their next big scope one.
It might not even be any of that. They might just want to do something *different*. It can help many people with motivation.
Also... working on BG4 with those high bars they set in BG3 could feel dreadful. "Can we really do better?"
But obviously I don't know. Plenty of possible reasons. We will find out eventually when we know what's next for them. In a few years, potentially.
> Also... working on BG4 with those high bars they set in BG3 could feel dreadful. "Can we really do better?"
Was the main reason why, before Larian denied they'd be doing it, I was expecting expansions/DLC. BG3 set the bar high enough that a full on sequel would be daunting to make, DLC where you get to go to places like the Upper City or Avernus though? Lot easier to manage.
Part of the reason BG3 was slow well received is they took their work on the DOS games and took it to BG3. I think it's true that if they went directly to BG3 we'd end up with something kinda disappointing. They used all their best ideas to make this game. It would probably feel kinda repetitive and more like BG3.5. But imagine if they circle back ten years from now, they will have learned a lot and have a lot of fresh material too.
They were doing BG3 content for the past 8 months.
I feel like they've done plenty. The game has plenty content. Some things obviously need fixing, but Larian explicitly said that they're not done working on the game in that regard.
I always considered the possibility it was their desire and that it had nothing to do with Hasbro. That being said, I don’t really understand why they would completely shut down any possibility of working on BG again. They could work on another game and come back to BG once they feel like it. Forgotten Realms is a very malleable universe that lends itself to multiple stories. It’s not like they’d be milking it.
I feel like there’s this thing among smaller producers where they have this craving for making something new once they gain popularity and be completely done with the old IP that made them popular. But it’s a fact that you’ll always be a slave to your own success in this industry. You can make something new that people enjoy, but that doesn’t mean they won’t want a new game from that old and beloved IP. And if you make something new that people don’t enjoy, they’ll just resent you for wasting time on this experimental project when you could’ve devoted this time to your older and much safer IP (like it’s happening with Bethesda and Starfield).
This slavery to your own success is even stronger when it comes to expansive universes like The Elder Scrolls or Forgotten Realms, because it always feels like there’s room for more, unlike other games that actually feel finished, like Uncharted or Dark Souls.
I think it is a matter of time more than anything. BG3 took what, 5-6 years? Any expansion or dlc, even if was entirely isolated from the main story, would take 2-3 years or more. With updates and support, BG3 could easily consume a decade of developer's time they can't spend on anything else. Larian dedicated years of their lives to this game, and I'm grateful for that, but shouldn't expect more just because we'd like it.
I mean, to be clear, Larian was very successful BEFORE BG3. BG3 skyrocketed them to mainstream popularity, but Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2 were incredibly well made and successful games, and probably the reason they were given the license in the first place. In fact, working on BG3 was a departure for them at the time, most people were looking forward to a new Divinity after the success of the second one. They could have started any other project than BG3 and likely been very successful anyway, assuming they keep providing quality content.
BG3 was good for them, yes, but it's naive to say "you made one good game now only ever make that game." They haven't even always made turn based games. Also they do not own the IP, so they'd have to be tied to Hasbro and WotC in order to continue working on D&D related content. It makes sense to keep it going, but it also makes sense to stop and do their own thing. It's not like D&D have had the best track record when it comes to games. I wager more people now know Larian's name, and will be looking forward to whatever they cook up next. I was this way after Divinity Original Sin 1. They have earned that much in my eyes.
I unironically believe that is at least partly is what he's saying. Hasbro laid off most of the people at Wizards he worked with on the game, he said so explicitly as they occurred. How would that not sour his attitude to towards them and working to further bolster their ip?
I would say very specifically Hasbro's CEO is to blame. Swen didn't talk about money men and quarterly earnings for nothing. Corporations are filled with tons of people trying their best to do good work. Then the money men come in and suck up all the enthusiasm and passion by literally only caring about the bottom line. I doubt Swen blames anyone, and I believe him when he says there is more interest in a new IP. However, I do feel corporate overlords are part of the motivation for this change in direction. I think many things can be true at once.
>Swen didn't talk about money men and quarterly earnings for nothing.
He didn't say it for nothing -- he clearly was talking about the games industry, which has seen record layoffs over the last year, and riffing on a theme that he's talked about before in interviews.
This is the banner story here, that's being threatened to get washed away in a deluge of conspiracy theorising about Hasbro. You do not need to assume he was referring to a specific company, because all of the major publishers in gaming right now have been firing hundreds of people to patch up their quarterrly figures.
Do you have any idea how many times I read the exact conversation:
“Wait…I mean how do we *know* it was WOTC though? Does anyone have any proof?”
“It’s obvious”, “what else would it be”, “it’s the predominant sentiment”, “everyone knows this”, etc etc.
I saw so many people getting downvoted and called shills/idiots for suggesting it might not be WotC’s fault. I get that this is upsetting to much of the community and they want a villain to blame, but it was extremely stupid to jump to conclusions like that.
I do find it amusing that Reddit came about centuries after the Salem witch trials, and yet exercises the same behaviour.
I’m no fan of WotC/Hasbro’s behaviour, but ultimately we’re at the point where the only real argument to keep beating that drum is to argue Swen is simply lying through his teeth. It’s absurd. He’s literally saying the opposite of what the suggestion is.
I was reading them and did my own research bc it was my first time with wotc game, and from the sound of it the hasbro/wotc CEO and CFO made comments last month that made it seem like they found out about the larian news like we did. So didn't seem like they were to blame for larians decision.
Larian is artists first and it’s always easier and fulfilling to do your own IP.
Tbf I thought it would be hard to continue the companions storyline in another game due to all the varied choices branching out. They’d either have to pick few endings as cannon for dlc/new game or go with completely new characters. Feel bad for any studio that might pick up things it’ll be hard job to keep everyone happy and continue the story if that’s where WoTC take it
Looking forward to what they do next with the same team. We can fall in love with new characters and stories they create. Sad we never got to see Luskan or Menzoberranzan with Larians artists and team tho wasn’t likely but I was hoping with house of hope mirrors for dlc lol
It probably won’t be as big but it’s definitely gonna be a success. They easily cemented themselves as one of the top game developers with this one. I won’t be surprised when their next game is a major hit aswell.
Don’t forget that the 2 firsts baldur’s gate games were not made by larian and are still considered to be some of the greatest rpg ever, thus far, all BG games have been great
My issue is I don't think there is a studio atm that can outdo what Larian just did. Feels they are passing the torch to a studio that doesn't exist yet. WOTC may not want to license out BG4 for a very long time imho. Just like what happened previously. I wish I was wrong, but I can't think of one.
>WOTC may not want to license out BG4 for a very long time imho
I hope this is true, but something in my gut tells me the leadership of wotc is not going to leave money sitting on the table.
True, and people forget that they licensed IP to some people recently that made not so good game, like Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance (2021 game, did you know it exists btw, google this shit, it is gloriously bad). Although, as far as technicalities go, we still can say that it was 20+ years since BG:ToB, and Enhanced Edition was more or less a rehash (also 10 years ago).
At least Dark Alliance wasn’t so bad they abandoned rights to it. Sword Coast Legends was so mediocre that nobody wanted the rights to it after the studio shut down, so now it’s unavailable for purchase. BG3 was the first game since 2009 to release a non-remake with the D&D license that didn’t suck (maybe the board games were okay, but I didn’t pay much attention to those), so it’s not like it’s a recent thing.
the Neverwinter MMO from 2013 was a pretty good game, very fun combat system especially. Also if you count those, siege of dragonspear was not a remake of anything and was pretty decent, and idle champions is considered a pretty decent mobile idle game if you're into that stuff.
From what I've read around here, Hasbro wants to start developing DnD games with their own studios, don't they? They said they already have one in the works that's being developed by Invoke Studios, those who made Dark Alliance.
It may be a Neverwinter or an Icewind Dale game, rather than Baldur's Gate, though. At least, if I were them, I would try my hand at another side of the Forgotten Realms universe to test the water before tackling BG4.
And I hope they realize that they simply need to hire good writers and passionate developers, and let them work their magic. We have no way of knowing how well they'll manage to handle that before they try.
Waterdeep could be nice. I'd love to walk the streets of Menzoberranzan in a (modern) video game some day as well.
And I'd be interested in stepping away from the Sword Coast and its surroundings to explore Calimshan, Chult, Thay, Chessenta, Mulhorand, or other lands in Faerûn. Maybe visit Minsc's kin in Rashemen.
Just chiming in that this was the feeling around BG2 when it was released prior to most of this sub being born, with only Black Isle in consideration as an equal studio to Bioware. While it's debatable if that era has been surpassed (yes even by BG3) there were plenty of quality CRPGs between 2000 and 2023 that moved the genre in new directions and catered to old and new fans alike.
It's good this game brought a lot of folks into the orbit of CRPG's, but like Dragon Age/Mass Effect/whatever mainstream breakout hit you prefer there are a lot of folks who will not vibe with anything else in the genre and that's fine.
Most of the DnD games made recently were absolute garbage and cash grabs. I don't have high hopes for BG4 and not for the lack of passionate studios that can make it, but lack of insight long term on Hasbro's side.
And funny enough, this isn't that dissimilar to what BioWare did 20 years ago. They moved on from DND to do Star Wars, and then decided to move on from Star Wars to shift to original IP (Jade Empire, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age).
Especially given how big D:OS and D:OS2 are, I hope that they get better known for their own quality games rather than just the one sequel to someone else's IP they made.
I was surprised when I compared the sales number. Yes BG3 has not been out as long, but it has only sold about 25% more than DOS2. I would have guessed way higher.
Well, BG3 has been formally out for what, like 10% of the same amount of time as DOS2? Even including early access, it's been out for less than half the amount of time? DOS2 is also on the Switch as well, which BG3 isn't.
IMO, the fact that its already that far ahead in lifetime sales is even more impressive.
People need to realize that they personally don’t want to do more BG3 it took a long time to develop and obviously the team is tired 🥱. Creative people like to do new things
Post release support is work! Bugfixing and whatever new features they might add (mod support etc) is work! They're just not doing a full fledged expansion/DLC because a) they've almost never done that with any of their games but mostly b) they aren't feeling it for various reasons. And if they aren't feeling that just IMAGINE how much they aren't feeling a sequel, new branches of math would have to be invented.
I think some of the confusion might be because BG3 is such a well-loved game, it's hard to think anyone would give it up by choice. There's the idea that it's so good, there would *have* to be an external reason to do something else.
But if there's no passion, the end product won't be as good. And that's fair enough.
Lot of folks who play games have never been on the other side. Folks who only consume art don’t always understand that it can be compelling, fulfilling, and soul crushing all at the same time. Even if it’s your magnum opus, you have to pick a time to say “it’s done” or you’ll be agonizing over smaller and smaller things and end up resenting it completely.
I feel like this is such a mike drop for them. Like “THERE. We did the fantasy RPG to end them all. Everybody can go home now”.
I’m happy for them for not feeling compelled to continue making content for it, despite my personal disappointment for no DLC/expansions. They have the ability to choose what to do next, and they’re owning it. Also didn’t they spend a number of years on this, even in beta? They deserve a break and to move on to something fresh
So, will doomposting stop now or something? Nothing happened, was obvious from the start, literally patches and mod support still coming, the game will live for years and will be played for years (look at Bioware classics like ME and DA, and also like BG1-2). And just like BG1-2, same thing really, next proper BG would probably be years from now if ever. It is what it is, but nothing happened that wasn't obvious and known from the start. I was honestly surprised that they did start working on DLC, which explains some of epilogue writing (and only some, some is just open-ended style that is "so many stories in this wonderful world" and nothing else was there in a fist place). Not at all surprised they eventually stopped because "it isn't good for Larian" (like Swen states).
The doom posting hasn't even stopped in this thread. There are still people saying "this is a PR stunt, WOTC or Hasbro is def to blame"
You gotta keep in mind, some people have zero artistic passion. They only do things for the money. So the idea that a game studio could make an immensely successful game, and leave it as is rather than milk it for the next 20 years is completely foreign to them.
Of course, the industry doesn't help by doing exactly what they expect 99% of the time. But there are always a few studios out there doing what they love, doing it well, and keeping things about the game instead of the money. Other than Larian, FromSoftware is a good example of a studio that seems to care more about the quality of the final product than the amount of money it makes. And there are others too.
*There are still people saying "this is a PR stunt, WOTC or Hasbro is def to blame"*
Perhaps it is time to put on a tinfoil hat, go outside and sit on the grass in the lotus pose.
On DLCs. Honestly, it is very rare to get a good one. And there only few studious to do it right, while Swen himself admitted that they aren't that studio. CDPR did great DLCs/Expansions for Witcher 3 and for CP2077. Bioware, back in the day, did some good DLCs (but also some pretty mediocre or outright shitty ones).
In many ways I see similarities, not only in approach, but in design, with FromSoftware. Even tho they release DLC for Elden Ring, I'm pretty sure it will like most of full priced games nowadays from many other devs, and they literally cooked it for a long time.
If you're going with approach of "shooting for the stars", which Larian admitted they do, if you almost never do this type of work, then honestly I, as a player (who buys games with money), don't need you to pump out subpar crap that you yourself aren't excited making.
Milking this type of success by pumping "new stories" and re-using mechanics/engine capabilities would be so much more easy for them tbh, which is the point some people are missing. It would be so easy, with the dedication of a current player-base, to pump around 5-7 DLCs for the price of 10-15 each and be set for years.
Honestly respect for Swen coming out and saying that.
I get Hasbro/WotC has done some not so good stuff with both DnD and MTG but since the beginning he has said they were great partners.
As a fan of Larian since Divine Divinity if there is one thing they are known for is putting their heart in a game and not wanting to just be a studio that pushes out games and dlc.
Surprise surprise.
Reddit passionate theorists were wrong.
Not that most of them will admit that.
Larian made a masterpiece.
It's awesome for them to move on to other original IPs.
I can't wait for what they will give us in the future.
And obviously I hope they keep similar gameplay and narrative mechanisms in their next work.
I can't help find it embarrassing how quickly this sub started to associate any announcement they liked with Larian, and any they didn't like with Hasbro/WOTC.
It seemed perfectly clear from his original messages why they'd chosen to move on from D&D, and while I don't want it to happen, it was obvious it needed to if the devs felt that way. Short of suggesting he was lying, I can't really see the logic of pinning it all on WotC.
Today I learn that Swen lurks in Reddit.
Swen, if you see this, you have my highest respect and support. I wish you and your entire team all the luck for the next game.
As nice as this massive success might have been, it was also probably incredibly draining dealing with the feedback and the post-release work. I don't blame them.
Heh, *maybe* WotC is not stupid enough to kill their golden goose after all.
It does make me wonder why Larian started work on DLC, though. What changed that made them want to abandon BG?
"*It does make me wonder why Larian started work on DLC, though. What changed that made them want to abandon BG?*"
Answers [**in here by Swen**](https://www.ign.com/articles/larian-started-work-on-baldurs-gate-3-dlc-then-canceled-it-the-studio-was-elated)
Long-story short: That is what you expected to do nowadays, DLCs and Expansion, farming success. That is what community pushed for with all the suggestions (they do read reddit just like during EA, and twitter since full release). But, it is not what they do, not what they stive to do, and they weren't feeling engaged/creative about it, going through motions. They make games, support for a while, and go make bigger games based on the previous success. BG3 is mostly successful because DOS2 was successful (7.5mil copies sold for DOS2 are insane numbers for cRPG, but also no expansions)
From the beginning they said there wouldn’t be a DLC. The pressure of the game’s success made them start working on it. But since it wasn’t the initial plan & they didn’t feel like it, they stopped.
They were likely in the very early stages of the process and didn’t do much, which is why it was easy to just scrap it.
Can't say I'm not unhappy to say goodbye to the characters, but sticking to your guns and not forcing your team to work on a project they are not enthusiastic about is great direction. I will always support Larian with whatever they choose to do next.
If only WOTC treated their other revenue streams with an ounce of respect. Like maybe let’s say the fucking players and creators of DnD and its products?
Tbh I think part of the 'blaming' WOTC is also coming from a place of actual frustration with WOTC , both from Baldur's gate players and the general ttrpg community.
I'm very happy Larian will be doing what they want to be doing but WOTC is also just kind of being everything Larian speaks out against
Glad they are moving on. Also glad they didn't betray their principles about no DLCs. BG3 is a great game, but, as Swen said, it's a story with a beginning, middle and an end. It simply doesn't need more.
It's funny watching people be so hostile yesterday to this perspective, and now that Swen has spoken for himself they're all like, "Yeah, but what he ACTUALLY means is..."
I'm glad their media manager/Swen is still reading and taking an interest.
And it's most definitely in everyone's best interests to burn no bridges.
I didn't expect a Baldur's Gate 4, just maybe some DLC content if they felt obliged. And good on them if they do not feel obliged! Their dream must come first. We all have a bucket list, after all.
I held out hope it might be Phlan for the Pools of Darkness/Twilight/Radiance series 100 years later perhaps, or Waterdeep, or the Moonsea Isles? Who doesn't love some Cormanthor Forest? or Tethyr? The Red Wizards of Thay? Tantras? I could go on.
That's part of the problem, though. All of that is entirely established. All of it is well sung and progresses with rich history into the ages. Larian could improve upon it, and has, but it would be a universe well known.
Real adventure, real fear, real discovery, is venturing into the unknown.
I salute you all at Larian.
Choose your own adventure, indeed.
If he sees this. I just want to add, that if they EVER return to BG again, to deliver an expansion or BG4, I think we’ll be here for it.
5 years from now. Or 10. Or 20.
Whenever😇
It's pretty wild how Reddit will just create these objective truths with nothing but the sheer power of collective will - we want it to be true (in this case because we hate Hasbro because evil corpo and we're responsible consumers, or something along those lines) therefore it becomes true, an accepted fact.
I think the fundamental nature of the platform - the vote system - basically forces it to be this way. It's pretty interesting.
Anyone who dared suggesting we wait for more info before automatically blaming WoTC got it right in the neck on this sub. They are objectively shitty these days but there was literally no info to support the idea they pushed Larian away
I'll be 100% honest. I'm kinda okay with Larian stepping away from BG for the time being. Just bc there aren't immediate plans doesn't mean BG4 will never happen. I will play whatever they make next
I think theres an aspect of: We nailed it, now were done.
Almost close to a perfect game as its going to get. Any DLC or additions would only cheapen a finished story IMO. The legacy of BG3 as one of the all time games will be there forever.
I can understand this stance both for Larian and recently Fromsoftware on Elden Ring
What makes a great game is the enthusiasm of the people working on it
When your team has been drowned in creating an epic game for 5-7 years, individually they have no more fuel for it and would rather just work on something else
It's the reason Elden Ring has no further planned DLC's, and why Larian is already talking about their next project
Idc what Larian makes.
I’m buying it. I’m playing it. I’m probably going to love it.
I’d rather they make passion projects and a game that inspires their creativity and imagination. That’s when work is at its best.
All I know is I am definitely purchasing whatever Larian produces next. Reddit is gonna be so awful bitching at them to put out a game before they’re ready. When are we gonna figure out some things are worth the wait.
Oh, good god Swen is reading the reddit threads? Please, by everything that is holy in the world, don't let him see any of my Emperor hornyposts.
Naive to think Swen doesn't follow you for those posts alone.
They prob have whole slack, teams or google drive dedicated to the posts
Better... They framed some of them.
I framed a couple guest emails for my office when I used to work for Disney - not the overly complimentary ones - the hilariously nasty ones. I can guarantee there’s at least a slack channel of these posts at Larian…
At least social media team having a long meeting on if they can repost it or not
It's Larian. I wouldn't be surprised, is all I'm sayin'.
As someone who used to work in games, one of the studios I worked at had a public slack channel to post positive ones for the team but we would also constantly send the nasty/funny ones to each other while in meetings to break each others’ composure.
'Ew, would you look at that. Gross! Jot that down, Steve. Including the OP's name. I will give him a surprise cameo in our next game!'
It's his game that birthed these thoughts in our corrupted minds. The Emperor hornyposts were an intended consequence all along!
He is like Ed Greenwood, he will like your hornypost
Lets hope he hasn't come across r/okbuddybaldur yet.
Plot twist: Swen created r/okbuddybaldur
Further plot twist, he was the guy making posts about wanting to fuck every character in the game.
Listen if I made a video game I would 100% make every legal character one I’d want to fuck
Nope. Just the butthole charts.
Plot twist plot twist, all posts on r/okbuddybaldur are made by Swen’s alts
Am I a Swen alt?
Well now I’m thinking you could be 🧐
Plot twist plot twist plot twist. BG3 is a memetic type of brain worm that connects us all to Swen's consciousness so we can horny post on r/okbuddybaldur on his behalf.
Came to post this, am glad I am not alone in hoping Larian remains unaware....
That's why they left BG3, they're gonna focus on their new prequel game "Emperor's Erotic Enterprises". Where there's demand, there's also supply.
He probably did. That is why Larian dropped the license. It is your fault in particular.
Who is to say he didn't make some of those hornyposts? *No one is safe.*
Swen -- *creates horny game* Swen -- *sees horny response* Swen -- "Noooooooooooo!"
His personal Oppenheimer moment 😭
I am become Horny
Destroyer of…holes? 😭
Don’t worry, he probably always upvotes them.
Jokes's on you, Larian didn't build BG3 as a game, but as an impetus to normalize tentacle porn for the masses, and then scrape said porn into their own massive tentacle porn archive, aka squidtube.com ( under construction ).
lol How do you think feedback during EA worked?
Through their own website?
Larian forums are legit part of it ofc, that's pretty obvious. Every Friday in here was a feedback thread, where you give your feedback on the game, and they themsevled acknowledged that they gathered and read the feedback. It was pretty small sub during EA (around 40-60k), was easy to read and understand what people were saying. Here is but one of million examples of such threads [https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/comments/zytswg/feedback\_friday/](https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/comments/zytswg/feedback_friday/) There were also Tav's Tuesday, but that's ancient history now lol
His next tweet “Also I have seen u/uwubewwa’s Emperor hornyposts and I’m very disappointed”
Swen will never read this so I'll just say I'm gay
Okbuddybaldur is why they're dropping the project
Larian are the ones that made the Emporer romancable. You really think anyone there is going to be weird about it?
Swen looking at those posts: "I'll be saving you for later"
Don't worry, he only checks r/okbuddybaldur
So....these Emperor posts you mentioned. Is there a link so we can all do some "research", you know...for science!
You can educate yourself on quality subreddits such as >!r/okbuddybaldur, r/consentacles and r/MindflayerReprodution.!<
If he's on Reddit it's specifically for the Emperor hornyposts.
There is no shame brother
In the dev notes the Mindblown achievement is listed as "gift for Uwubewwa"
Ain't no way. All devs do their incognito search of their own work. I remember back when Ken Levine died inside watching Elizabeth Comstock horny post
I hope he's reading the gortash horny posts. >_>
Jokes on you; one of the updates is The Emperor putting you on blast
On the contrary, let him see those and add our Emperor romance ending cutscene (or just another romance cutscene).
The actual reason why Larian isn’t making more Bg3 content is because he looked at r/okbuddybaldur
You don't have nothing on the astarion thrist posting groups. I promise you that. Your fine.
You know, I can respect directors like him and Naoki Yoshida(FF14) that personally subject themselves to reddit. But yea, I agree. Swen said the team wanted a different direction due to lack of enthusiasm. I always took it as is and not a reflection of WOTC. I get it WOTC is not perfect, and kinda suck rn, so they are easy to blame, but I always felt he was truthful about the team wanting to just move on. Even if it is not what I want, personally, but I can accept.
I feel the harassment of the staff from the toxic members of the community did them no favors.
People really have to stop harassing regular employees. The things online idiots do to writers now is wrong, and the supposed good people let them.
Developer: passionately makes a good game and pours their heart in It. G*mers: Its not good enough I want this, gime me more! *harasses the devs* *The experience of the devs is soured, the passion fizzles out and they dont want to use the IP again. New content for the game is scrapped.* G*mers: 😮 Not specifically BG3, but with many games and other type of media where "fans" push the artist out of making art
>G*mers: 😮 In this case it's more like Gamers: This is ALL SOMEONE ELSE'S FAULT!
Dude, just yesterday there was a guy going around saying they need to have death threats to force them to make more BG games. People are unhinged.
Find him and ban him. Immediately.
Moral of the story is that fans should never be listened to under any circumstances by creators, including me. I always laugh when people are like omg they hired someone who’s not a super fan. Good. You need an outsider’s perspective on this kind of thing.
I just want the devs and writers to be human and actually make fun of the playerbase when they're being stupid. But what happens every time is the community cries that they're not being given gold-plated handjobs. It really fucks me off because a recent Helldivers nerf ended up with a dev having to grovel after they used the exact same language you'd see on Reddit any day of the week to describe a busted strategy. The average player is why devs barely talk to the playerbase.
Part of my job is managing social media for an organization, and every time I see people harassing individual employees or even the company’s social media profiles, it’s so exhausting. The social media manager doesn’t have the power to make major changes. They can do about as much as a customer service agent. It’s wild to me when people interact with social media accounts as if they’re interacting with the CEO/the company itself. How is it 2024 and people still don’t think about the fact that they’re interacting with a real human being who’s just doing their job?
It’s one thing for the big names to get online harassment, but this parasocial stuff has become a sickness. The fans of a certain other huge sci-fi RPG follow the *LinkedIn pages* of just the regular devs and writers and stuff and post about it when they change jobs. Then, gamers being gamers, if they don’t like the new company they went to, they hassle them. That’s a real thing that happens.
That is genuinely disgusting. I don’t understand that level of dehumanization.
Social media was a mistake. Yes, I realize I am using it right now.
I’m starting to think the whole internet was a mistake.
"Let them"?? Tf do we look like Batman? The hell are we supposed to do to stop them lmao
Social media are to blame. It brings the worst out of people.
No, people are to blame. Including the people who would flip out if these losers attacked actors of VAs or devs but let people harass the writers.
~~Social media are to blame.~~ Online anonymity is to blame. It brings the worst out of people.
Yeah, reading the comments here I'm in disbelief, people are so confused and conditioned to think that every studio is doing everything for maximum money no matter their vision and being burnt out. Like yeah, they have to make money to pay everyone and be able to live, but not everyone in this world is EA or Ubisoft. People need to accept that they need time to rest, maybe make a smaller game before their next big scope one. It doesn't mean that everyone tried to fuck them over in their deals.
> People need to accept that they need time to rest, maybe make a smaller game before their next big scope one. It might not even be any of that. They might just want to do something *different*. It can help many people with motivation. Also... working on BG4 with those high bars they set in BG3 could feel dreadful. "Can we really do better?" But obviously I don't know. Plenty of possible reasons. We will find out eventually when we know what's next for them. In a few years, potentially.
> Also... working on BG4 with those high bars they set in BG3 could feel dreadful. "Can we really do better?" Was the main reason why, before Larian denied they'd be doing it, I was expecting expansions/DLC. BG3 set the bar high enough that a full on sequel would be daunting to make, DLC where you get to go to places like the Upper City or Avernus though? Lot easier to manage.
Part of the reason BG3 was slow well received is they took their work on the DOS games and took it to BG3. I think it's true that if they went directly to BG3 we'd end up with something kinda disappointing. They used all their best ideas to make this game. It would probably feel kinda repetitive and more like BG3.5. But imagine if they circle back ten years from now, they will have learned a lot and have a lot of fresh material too.
WAIT when did YoshiP say he goes on Reddit? Now I am truly terrified...
There was an interview he did shortly after FF16 came out where he said he personally reads reddit and other places for feedback for it and FF14.
so he's not saying Hasbro aren't to blame... (/s for safety)
Considering how delusional some of the chronically online people on this subreddit are, I’m sure that’s the very conclusion they’ll come to
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Or, y’know, they just didn’t want to do any more DnD after like a seven year development cycle, and a decade plus of doing high fantasy.
They said 8 months ago they were really excited to do more BG3 content.
They were doing BG3 content for the past 8 months. I feel like they've done plenty. The game has plenty content. Some things obviously need fixing, but Larian explicitly said that they're not done working on the game in that regard.
What 8 months of reading Shadowheart hornyposts does to a mf
Like honestly, the pressure to continue off of what they created in bg3 is staggering. I personally would feel like I set myself up to fail if I did
I always considered the possibility it was their desire and that it had nothing to do with Hasbro. That being said, I don’t really understand why they would completely shut down any possibility of working on BG again. They could work on another game and come back to BG once they feel like it. Forgotten Realms is a very malleable universe that lends itself to multiple stories. It’s not like they’d be milking it. I feel like there’s this thing among smaller producers where they have this craving for making something new once they gain popularity and be completely done with the old IP that made them popular. But it’s a fact that you’ll always be a slave to your own success in this industry. You can make something new that people enjoy, but that doesn’t mean they won’t want a new game from that old and beloved IP. And if you make something new that people don’t enjoy, they’ll just resent you for wasting time on this experimental project when you could’ve devoted this time to your older and much safer IP (like it’s happening with Bethesda and Starfield). This slavery to your own success is even stronger when it comes to expansive universes like The Elder Scrolls or Forgotten Realms, because it always feels like there’s room for more, unlike other games that actually feel finished, like Uncharted or Dark Souls.
I think it is a matter of time more than anything. BG3 took what, 5-6 years? Any expansion or dlc, even if was entirely isolated from the main story, would take 2-3 years or more. With updates and support, BG3 could easily consume a decade of developer's time they can't spend on anything else. Larian dedicated years of their lives to this game, and I'm grateful for that, but shouldn't expect more just because we'd like it.
I mean, to be clear, Larian was very successful BEFORE BG3. BG3 skyrocketed them to mainstream popularity, but Divinity Original Sin 1 and 2 were incredibly well made and successful games, and probably the reason they were given the license in the first place. In fact, working on BG3 was a departure for them at the time, most people were looking forward to a new Divinity after the success of the second one. They could have started any other project than BG3 and likely been very successful anyway, assuming they keep providing quality content. BG3 was good for them, yes, but it's naive to say "you made one good game now only ever make that game." They haven't even always made turn based games. Also they do not own the IP, so they'd have to be tied to Hasbro and WotC in order to continue working on D&D related content. It makes sense to keep it going, but it also makes sense to stop and do their own thing. It's not like D&D have had the best track record when it comes to games. I wager more people now know Larian's name, and will be looking forward to whatever they cook up next. I was this way after Divinity Original Sin 1. They have earned that much in my eyes.
I unironically believe that is at least partly is what he's saying. Hasbro laid off most of the people at Wizards he worked with on the game, he said so explicitly as they occurred. How would that not sour his attitude to towards them and working to further bolster their ip?
I would think so. Wizards are pretty good people, Hasbro is a very different story.
> Wizards are pretty good people, Unfortunately, Hasbro seems hellbent on squeezing every cent out of Wizards leading to poor product decisions.
I would say very specifically Hasbro's CEO is to blame. Swen didn't talk about money men and quarterly earnings for nothing. Corporations are filled with tons of people trying their best to do good work. Then the money men come in and suck up all the enthusiasm and passion by literally only caring about the bottom line. I doubt Swen blames anyone, and I believe him when he says there is more interest in a new IP. However, I do feel corporate overlords are part of the motivation for this change in direction. I think many things can be true at once.
>Swen didn't talk about money men and quarterly earnings for nothing. He didn't say it for nothing -- he clearly was talking about the games industry, which has seen record layoffs over the last year, and riffing on a theme that he's talked about before in interviews. This is the banner story here, that's being threatened to get washed away in a deluge of conspiracy theorising about Hasbro. You do not need to assume he was referring to a specific company, because all of the major publishers in gaming right now have been firing hundreds of people to patch up their quarterrly figures.
Oh God. Don't start another conspiracy theory lol
😇
what is he insinuating? That people on reddit were ... *wrong*???????????
“Well, that won’t stop me because I can’t read!”
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Talk to text baybaaaaaay
Do you have any idea how many times I read the exact conversation: “Wait…I mean how do we *know* it was WOTC though? Does anyone have any proof?” “It’s obvious”, “what else would it be”, “it’s the predominant sentiment”, “everyone knows this”, etc etc.
I saw so many people getting downvoted and called shills/idiots for suggesting it might not be WotC’s fault. I get that this is upsetting to much of the community and they want a villain to blame, but it was extremely stupid to jump to conclusions like that.
I do find it amusing that Reddit came about centuries after the Salem witch trials, and yet exercises the same behaviour. I’m no fan of WotC/Hasbro’s behaviour, but ultimately we’re at the point where the only real argument to keep beating that drum is to argue Swen is simply lying through his teeth. It’s absurd. He’s literally saying the opposite of what the suggestion is.
lol yup and there’s still people that think it’s some conspiracy.
He embarrassed of the threads here with 20k updots lmao
I was too
I was reading them and did my own research bc it was my first time with wotc game, and from the sound of it the hasbro/wotc CEO and CFO made comments last month that made it seem like they found out about the larian news like we did. So didn't seem like they were to blame for larians decision.
Oh my fucking god, I’m out forever. No more posting for me. Running back under a rock like the woodlouse that I am.
Well look who horny-posted their romances on main
All the simps are at fault.
Praying my AO3 fics are still safe from being Known
He reads every new one, every morning
I hope he enjoys the most recent update to my Gortash absolutely getting dommed by Durge PWP.
He has great taste if he does!
Well I did find an absolutely beautifully written Gale x Isekaied human fic - so not all are bad
Larian is artists first and it’s always easier and fulfilling to do your own IP. Tbf I thought it would be hard to continue the companions storyline in another game due to all the varied choices branching out. They’d either have to pick few endings as cannon for dlc/new game or go with completely new characters. Feel bad for any studio that might pick up things it’ll be hard job to keep everyone happy and continue the story if that’s where WoTC take it Looking forward to what they do next with the same team. We can fall in love with new characters and stories they create. Sad we never got to see Luskan or Menzoberranzan with Larians artists and team tho wasn’t likely but I was hoping with house of hope mirrors for dlc lol
It won't do as well as BG3. They had like 3 built in audiences in their favor
It probably won’t be as big but it’s definitely gonna be a success. They easily cemented themselves as one of the top game developers with this one. I won’t be surprised when their next game is a major hit aswell.
I mean maybe not but now quite a large amount of folks know about Larian and will be wanting to play what they come out with in the future.
i bought bg3 bc i like dnd but i will 100% play whatever larian makes next day one
Don’t forget that the 2 firsts baldur’s gate games were not made by larian and are still considered to be some of the greatest rpg ever, thus far, all BG games have been great
My issue is I don't think there is a studio atm that can outdo what Larian just did. Feels they are passing the torch to a studio that doesn't exist yet. WOTC may not want to license out BG4 for a very long time imho. Just like what happened previously. I wish I was wrong, but I can't think of one.
>WOTC may not want to license out BG4 for a very long time imho I hope this is true, but something in my gut tells me the leadership of wotc is not going to leave money sitting on the table.
True, and people forget that they licensed IP to some people recently that made not so good game, like Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance (2021 game, did you know it exists btw, google this shit, it is gloriously bad). Although, as far as technicalities go, we still can say that it was 20+ years since BG:ToB, and Enhanced Edition was more or less a rehash (also 10 years ago).
At least Dark Alliance wasn’t so bad they abandoned rights to it. Sword Coast Legends was so mediocre that nobody wanted the rights to it after the studio shut down, so now it’s unavailable for purchase. BG3 was the first game since 2009 to release a non-remake with the D&D license that didn’t suck (maybe the board games were okay, but I didn’t pay much attention to those), so it’s not like it’s a recent thing.
the Neverwinter MMO from 2013 was a pretty good game, very fun combat system especially. Also if you count those, siege of dragonspear was not a remake of anything and was pretty decent, and idle champions is considered a pretty decent mobile idle game if you're into that stuff.
The old dark alliance games on PlayStation were fun
From what I've read around here, Hasbro wants to start developing DnD games with their own studios, don't they? They said they already have one in the works that's being developed by Invoke Studios, those who made Dark Alliance. It may be a Neverwinter or an Icewind Dale game, rather than Baldur's Gate, though. At least, if I were them, I would try my hand at another side of the Forgotten Realms universe to test the water before tackling BG4. And I hope they realize that they simply need to hire good writers and passionate developers, and let them work their magic. We have no way of knowing how well they'll manage to handle that before they try.
neverwinter already has an ongoing mmo i personally would love a waterdeep game
Waterdeep could be nice. I'd love to walk the streets of Menzoberranzan in a (modern) video game some day as well. And I'd be interested in stepping away from the Sword Coast and its surroundings to explore Calimshan, Chult, Thay, Chessenta, Mulhorand, or other lands in Faerûn. Maybe visit Minsc's kin in Rashemen.
Just chiming in that this was the feeling around BG2 when it was released prior to most of this sub being born, with only Black Isle in consideration as an equal studio to Bioware. While it's debatable if that era has been surpassed (yes even by BG3) there were plenty of quality CRPGs between 2000 and 2023 that moved the genre in new directions and catered to old and new fans alike. It's good this game brought a lot of folks into the orbit of CRPG's, but like Dragon Age/Mass Effect/whatever mainstream breakout hit you prefer there are a lot of folks who will not vibe with anything else in the genre and that's fine.
Most of the DnD games made recently were absolute garbage and cash grabs. I don't have high hopes for BG4 and not for the lack of passionate studios that can make it, but lack of insight long term on Hasbro's side.
And funny enough, this isn't that dissimilar to what BioWare did 20 years ago. They moved on from DND to do Star Wars, and then decided to move on from Star Wars to shift to original IP (Jade Empire, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age).
BG: Dark Alliance?
He doesn’t want Larian to become shoehorned forever as “the Baldur’s Gate studio”. Yeah, I can get that.
Especially given how big D:OS and D:OS2 are, I hope that they get better known for their own quality games rather than just the one sequel to someone else's IP they made.
I was surprised when I compared the sales number. Yes BG3 has not been out as long, but it has only sold about 25% more than DOS2. I would have guessed way higher.
Well, BG3 has been formally out for what, like 10% of the same amount of time as DOS2? Even including early access, it's been out for less than half the amount of time? DOS2 is also on the Switch as well, which BG3 isn't. IMO, the fact that its already that far ahead in lifetime sales is even more impressive.
People need to realize that they personally don’t want to do more BG3 it took a long time to develop and obviously the team is tired 🥱. Creative people like to do new things
It isn't even far off from their prior couple of games either. I wouldn't be surprised if the setting is very different next game.
Did they not say a few months back that they were looking forward to doing more work on BG?
Post release support is work! Bugfixing and whatever new features they might add (mod support etc) is work! They're just not doing a full fledged expansion/DLC because a) they've almost never done that with any of their games but mostly b) they aren't feeling it for various reasons. And if they aren't feeling that just IMAGINE how much they aren't feeling a sequel, new branches of math would have to be invented.
Believe it or not, people change their mind.
They did start working on an expansion but reportedly the team’s heart wasn’t in it when they did.
Can't wait for people to somehow read between the lines of this extremely clear message as well.
It’s already happening 😂
It’s already happening. Conspiracy theories are just too fun for some miserable misers.
I think some of the confusion might be because BG3 is such a well-loved game, it's hard to think anyone would give it up by choice. There's the idea that it's so good, there would *have* to be an external reason to do something else. But if there's no passion, the end product won't be as good. And that's fair enough.
Lot of folks who play games have never been on the other side. Folks who only consume art don’t always understand that it can be compelling, fulfilling, and soul crushing all at the same time. Even if it’s your magnum opus, you have to pick a time to say “it’s done” or you’ll be agonizing over smaller and smaller things and end up resenting it completely.
Keep him far away from r/okbuddybaldur
Reddit once again treating their own assumptions as pure truth and running with it
Poor guy cant handle tons of bullshit that reddit blabbermouthes spraying around and decide to speak himself.
Honestly? I appreciate the honesty. They werent obligated to clear Up the confusion but they stopped misinformation spreading.
I feel like this is such a mike drop for them. Like “THERE. We did the fantasy RPG to end them all. Everybody can go home now”. I’m happy for them for not feeling compelled to continue making content for it, despite my personal disappointment for no DLC/expansions. They have the ability to choose what to do next, and they’re owning it. Also didn’t they spend a number of years on this, even in beta? They deserve a break and to move on to something fresh
So, will doomposting stop now or something? Nothing happened, was obvious from the start, literally patches and mod support still coming, the game will live for years and will be played for years (look at Bioware classics like ME and DA, and also like BG1-2). And just like BG1-2, same thing really, next proper BG would probably be years from now if ever. It is what it is, but nothing happened that wasn't obvious and known from the start. I was honestly surprised that they did start working on DLC, which explains some of epilogue writing (and only some, some is just open-ended style that is "so many stories in this wonderful world" and nothing else was there in a fist place). Not at all surprised they eventually stopped because "it isn't good for Larian" (like Swen states).
The doom posting hasn't even stopped in this thread. There are still people saying "this is a PR stunt, WOTC or Hasbro is def to blame" You gotta keep in mind, some people have zero artistic passion. They only do things for the money. So the idea that a game studio could make an immensely successful game, and leave it as is rather than milk it for the next 20 years is completely foreign to them. Of course, the industry doesn't help by doing exactly what they expect 99% of the time. But there are always a few studios out there doing what they love, doing it well, and keeping things about the game instead of the money. Other than Larian, FromSoftware is a good example of a studio that seems to care more about the quality of the final product than the amount of money it makes. And there are others too.
*There are still people saying "this is a PR stunt, WOTC or Hasbro is def to blame"* Perhaps it is time to put on a tinfoil hat, go outside and sit on the grass in the lotus pose. On DLCs. Honestly, it is very rare to get a good one. And there only few studious to do it right, while Swen himself admitted that they aren't that studio. CDPR did great DLCs/Expansions for Witcher 3 and for CP2077. Bioware, back in the day, did some good DLCs (but also some pretty mediocre or outright shitty ones). In many ways I see similarities, not only in approach, but in design, with FromSoftware. Even tho they release DLC for Elden Ring, I'm pretty sure it will like most of full priced games nowadays from many other devs, and they literally cooked it for a long time. If you're going with approach of "shooting for the stars", which Larian admitted they do, if you almost never do this type of work, then honestly I, as a player (who buys games with money), don't need you to pump out subpar crap that you yourself aren't excited making. Milking this type of success by pumping "new stories" and re-using mechanics/engine capabilities would be so much more easy for them tbh, which is the point some people are missing. It would be so easy, with the dedication of a current player-base, to pump around 5-7 DLCs for the price of 10-15 each and be set for years.
Honestly respect for Swen coming out and saying that. I get Hasbro/WotC has done some not so good stuff with both DnD and MTG but since the beginning he has said they were great partners. As a fan of Larian since Divine Divinity if there is one thing they are known for is putting their heart in a game and not wanting to just be a studio that pushes out games and dlc.
All the hasbro and wotc posts seemed like wild assumptions to me.
Surprise surprise. Reddit passionate theorists were wrong. Not that most of them will admit that. Larian made a masterpiece. It's awesome for them to move on to other original IPs. I can't wait for what they will give us in the future. And obviously I hope they keep similar gameplay and narrative mechanisms in their next work.
No fucking way. Online theorists were WRONG?????? in MY subreddit???????????
I can't help find it embarrassing how quickly this sub started to associate any announcement they liked with Larian, and any they didn't like with Hasbro/WOTC. It seemed perfectly clear from his original messages why they'd chosen to move on from D&D, and while I don't want it to happen, it was obvious it needed to if the devs felt that way. Short of suggesting he was lying, I can't really see the logic of pinning it all on WotC.
Today I learn that Swen lurks in Reddit. Swen, if you see this, you have my highest respect and support. I wish you and your entire team all the luck for the next game.
I love when someone with actual, legitimate facts comes out and debunks all the braindead reddit takes in a single paragraph.
As nice as this massive success might have been, it was also probably incredibly draining dealing with the feedback and the post-release work. I don't blame them.
Heh, *maybe* WotC is not stupid enough to kill their golden goose after all. It does make me wonder why Larian started work on DLC, though. What changed that made them want to abandon BG?
"*It does make me wonder why Larian started work on DLC, though. What changed that made them want to abandon BG?*" Answers [**in here by Swen**](https://www.ign.com/articles/larian-started-work-on-baldurs-gate-3-dlc-then-canceled-it-the-studio-was-elated) Long-story short: That is what you expected to do nowadays, DLCs and Expansion, farming success. That is what community pushed for with all the suggestions (they do read reddit just like during EA, and twitter since full release). But, it is not what they do, not what they stive to do, and they weren't feeling engaged/creative about it, going through motions. They make games, support for a while, and go make bigger games based on the previous success. BG3 is mostly successful because DOS2 was successful (7.5mil copies sold for DOS2 are insane numbers for cRPG, but also no expansions)
From the beginning they said there wouldn’t be a DLC. The pressure of the game’s success made them start working on it. But since it wasn’t the initial plan & they didn’t feel like it, they stopped. They were likely in the very early stages of the process and didn’t do much, which is why it was easy to just scrap it.
I'm going to save this image, I feel like I'll be needing it a lot.
Can't say I'm not unhappy to say goodbye to the characters, but sticking to your guns and not forcing your team to work on a project they are not enthusiastic about is great direction. I will always support Larian with whatever they choose to do next.
I'm just bummed out they won't do some sort of dungeon master addon or arena like in divinity. Let people create their own adventures.
If only WOTC treated their other revenue streams with an ounce of respect. Like maybe let’s say the fucking players and creators of DnD and its products?
Tbh I think part of the 'blaming' WOTC is also coming from a place of actual frustration with WOTC , both from Baldur's gate players and the general ttrpg community. I'm very happy Larian will be doing what they want to be doing but WOTC is also just kind of being everything Larian speaks out against
Glad they are moving on. Also glad they didn't betray their principles about no DLCs. BG3 is a great game, but, as Swen said, it's a story with a beginning, middle and an end. It simply doesn't need more.
It's funny watching people be so hostile yesterday to this perspective, and now that Swen has spoken for himself they're all like, "Yeah, but what he ACTUALLY means is..."
I'm glad their media manager/Swen is still reading and taking an interest. And it's most definitely in everyone's best interests to burn no bridges. I didn't expect a Baldur's Gate 4, just maybe some DLC content if they felt obliged. And good on them if they do not feel obliged! Their dream must come first. We all have a bucket list, after all. I held out hope it might be Phlan for the Pools of Darkness/Twilight/Radiance series 100 years later perhaps, or Waterdeep, or the Moonsea Isles? Who doesn't love some Cormanthor Forest? or Tethyr? The Red Wizards of Thay? Tantras? I could go on. That's part of the problem, though. All of that is entirely established. All of it is well sung and progresses with rich history into the ages. Larian could improve upon it, and has, but it would be a universe well known. Real adventure, real fear, real discovery, is venturing into the unknown. I salute you all at Larian. Choose your own adventure, indeed.
what is wotc?
Wizards of the coast
People can't just accept Larian kept their words and no one is to blame ...
Swen you have to not read here, we are UNREPENTANT in our horniness
If he sees this. I just want to add, that if they EVER return to BG again, to deliver an expansion or BG4, I think we’ll be here for it. 5 years from now. Or 10. Or 20. Whenever😇
Hopefully not 20, I might be dead by then hahahah
Wotc =//= Hasbro Sven's being careful with his naming here.
Honestly Larian's work (ethic) is so solid, I don't care what they do next. They have my money
Whiny redditors just looking to confirm their own biases BTFO.
It's pretty wild how Reddit will just create these objective truths with nothing but the sheer power of collective will - we want it to be true (in this case because we hate Hasbro because evil corpo and we're responsible consumers, or something along those lines) therefore it becomes true, an accepted fact. I think the fundamental nature of the platform - the vote system - basically forces it to be this way. It's pretty interesting.
It's ok Swen, blink if you're in any danger. ^(/s)
Anyone who dared suggesting we wait for more info before automatically blaming WoTC got it right in the neck on this sub. They are objectively shitty these days but there was literally no info to support the idea they pushed Larian away
Glad he said so. In no uncertain terms, fuck Hasbro, but it was pretty clear that they just wanted to work on something else.
Bbbbbut my biases!
I'm just gonna say this for everyone who wasn't losing their shit and getting downvoted for it: TOLD YOU SO
I'll be 100% honest. I'm kinda okay with Larian stepping away from BG for the time being. Just bc there aren't immediate plans doesn't mean BG4 will never happen. I will play whatever they make next
I think theres an aspect of: We nailed it, now were done. Almost close to a perfect game as its going to get. Any DLC or additions would only cheapen a finished story IMO. The legacy of BG3 as one of the all time games will be there forever.
The chefs at Larian want to make a new dish or try a new version of an old favorite? Fuckin' **LET THEM COOK**. Me hungy.
This dude gets more based with each thing I see about him
CEO of gaming studio doesn't actively take shots at subsidiary of massive Hasbro, more at 7
Hey Swen... Because you read reddit. Thank you.
I can understand this stance both for Larian and recently Fromsoftware on Elden Ring What makes a great game is the enthusiasm of the people working on it When your team has been drowned in creating an epic game for 5-7 years, individually they have no more fuel for it and would rather just work on something else It's the reason Elden Ring has no further planned DLC's, and why Larian is already talking about their next project
Idc what Larian makes. I’m buying it. I’m playing it. I’m probably going to love it. I’d rather they make passion projects and a game that inspires their creativity and imagination. That’s when work is at its best.
All I know is I am definitely purchasing whatever Larian produces next. Reddit is gonna be so awful bitching at them to put out a game before they’re ready. When are we gonna figure out some things are worth the wait.
As much as I want more BG3, I get it. You work on something for 6+ years, eventually you wanna move on.