author: Zuzanna Domeradzka
Baldur's Gate 4 Will Be Developed, but Its Fate Is Yet to Be Decided. 'We Certainly Hope That It's Not Another 25 Years'
A new game in the Baldur's Gate series will be developed. Hasbro needs time to reveal more details, but the company is already looking for a suitable partner.
Larian Studios has emphasized multiple times that they won't develop another installment of this series, despite the warm reception of Baldur's Gate 3. Nonetheless, fans of the series could expect that the fourth installment would be developed someday. Now we have learned about the plans the owner of the Dungeons & Dragons brand has for the new Baldur's Gate.
New Baldur's Gate will be created
Eugene Evans, the SVP for Digital Strategy and Licensing at Wizards of the Coast, has confirmed in an interview with PC Gamer that the next installment of Baldur's Gate is in the works and discussions with potential partners are already underway. Since Larian Studios isn't interested in developing the franchise, it will be necessary to find another studio that can handle the task of creating a new installment of the series. Evans, however, hopes that the process won't last for 25 years (almost as long as it took from the premiere of BG 2 to the release of BG 3).
So we certainly hope that it's not another 25 years. But we're going to take our time and find the right partner, the right approach, and the right product that could represent the future of Baldur's Gate. We take that very, very seriously, as we do with all of our decisions around our portfolio.
Fate of Baldur’s Gate characters
Interestingly, the interview addressed the issue of the characters we've managed to meet and love in Baldur's Gate 3. What will be the fate of the beloved Shadowheart, Karlach, or the vampire Astarion, whose voice actor, Neil Newbon, has recently been recognized once more? Do those mentioned above have a chance of appearing in the anticipated fourth installment, given that some characters known from the previous parts of the series have appeared in "third" (such as Jaheira)?
It seems that Hasbro (which owns Wizards of the Coast) is well aware of how popular the characters created by Larian Studios are. Since they are part of the Dungeons & Dragons canon, it's possible that they will return in subsequent installments.
I think it's too early to express specifics [...]. But I would like to think that all of those characters, for the sake of the fans, could potentially appear in future products.
It is worth noting that the owners of the D&D brand assert that fans of this fantastic world are highly committed to it. Therefore, it's no wonder that there is a strong demand for video games or movies from the "universe."
Hasbro about Larian Studios
Although Wizards of the Coast and Larian Studios have already parted ways, the former company highly values the work of the Belgian studio. Eugene Evans pointed out that Baldur's Gate 3 set the bar very high, and it's now up to Hasbro to exceed it.
That team [Larian Studios] are incredible fans of D&D itself, obviously. And they've done just an amazing job of bringing that world to life, which has not only been celebrated by lifelong fans [...], but it's also brought many new players to D&D, which has obviously made us very happy.
To conclude, let's remember that Larian Studios will be working on the next games after a well-deserved break. One of the two major titles that the developer has in the works may be a new installment of the Divinity series.
