Larian's Next RPG, Following Baldur's Gate 3 Success, Heads to Early Access. 'This Is the Only Way to Do It Now,' Says Dev
Director of Publishing at Larian Studios, Michael Douse, says that making more games available in early access after Baldur's Gate 3 is the only right direction to ensure their proper development.
I don't think anyone has any doubts about the success of Baldur's Gate 3. Larian Studios' game debuted last year and proved excellent in terms of storyline and gameplay, and at least satisfactory in terms of technical state. Maybe none of these elements would have reached such a high level if the project hadn't entered early access on Steam and GOG long before the official premiere.
"It worked out" in the case of Baldur’s Gate 3, just like a few years earlier with Divinity: Original Sin II. This approach will probably be continued by Larian Studios for future projects as well.
The Belgian team's Director of Publishing, Michael Douse, recently gave an interview to Game File (via Eurogamer) in which he stated that early access "is the only way to do it now" to ensure that the game develops based on community feedback. The developer added that by releasing the game in early access, the creators eliminate the "risk" associated with whether the title will appeal to the community.
Our next - whatever the next thing will be - will also probably be in early access. That way you remove a lot of the prediction, too. When you release a game in AAA [...] [if] you don't have early access, you're taking a huge bet on the fact that this is good and people like it. In early access, you find out very quickly -- Douse explained.
What will be the next game from Larian Studios? The devs haven't revealed this yet. All we know is that the developers have two projects in mind. For more specific information, we have to wait a bit.
