The studio almost started on expansion content and then canceled because it 'wasn't coming from the heart.'
Given the absolutely astronomical success of Baldur’s Gate 3, one might expect Larian was rushing to get DLC or a sequel ready to capitalize on it. In fact, they were for a short time, but they aren’t now. In a recent interview, Larian Studio lead Swen Vincke shared that they began the work on new content for the game, but after realizing their hearts weren’t in it, Vincke made the call to skip development of new BG3 content and get started on something new. Maybe it’s time for Divinity: Original Sin 3?
Vincke shared the turn of events at Larian regarding extended content for Baldur’s Gate 3 in a recent interview with IGN. Apparently, the team had started DLC and were even thinking about a new game, but that was before the developers really felt like they were done with Baldur’s Gate 3. According to Vincke, converting Dungeons and Dragons’ 5th Edition rules into a video game was also a pain point for the crew, and one that ultimately felt draining to work into the game’s intensely open and customizable RPG system.
It came to a point where Vincke noticed that the developers were not into what they were working on, which pushed him to make the call to stop work on Baldur’s Gate 3 content after the team came back following the winter holidays:
Larian Studios, and particularly Swen Vincke, have proven several times over that they care more about quality than quantity. The team doesn’t make things just because they’re popular. Vincke stressed that they have to care about what they do. And it’s worth noting that Larian has said in the past that it would return to the Divinity series after it was done with Baldur’s Gate 3.
So, with Baldur’s Gate 3 content seemingly bookended outside of small adjustments, fixes, and balancing, it seems we’ll be seeing Larian move onto something new soon, and it's probably not Baldur's Gate 4. With how fantastic Divinity: Original Sin 2 was even before Baldur’s Gate, we’ll look forward to seeing what Larian reveals next when it’s time. Stay tuned.
TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.