From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg
Source:
https://www.polygon.com/24107939/baldurs-gate-3-larian-studios-no-more-dnd-wizards-of-the-coast
Larian Studios wonrCOt make any more BaldurrCOs Gate games
The studio isnrCOt making the obvious next move
By Carli Velocci Mar 21, 2024, 3:16pm EDT
Now that BaldurrCOs Gate 3 has been a huge success both critically and financially, people are looking forward to whatrCOs next for developer
Larian Studios. However, according to studio founder Swen Vincke, the
future doesnrCOt lie with the BaldurrCOs Gate franchise or Dungeons &
Dragons as a whole.
During a talk at the Game Developers Conference on Thursday (spotted by
IGN and confirmed by Polygon in a video on the official conference
TikTok), Vincke said that Larian wonrCOt be working on any DLC,
expansions, or a sequel for the game. It would be handing the IP back to Wizards of the Coast and moving on to unrelated projects.
rCLBaldurrCOs Gate 3 will always have a heart rCo a warm spot in our hearts. WerCOll forever be proud of it, but werCOre not going to continue it. WerCOre not going to make new expansions, which everybody is expecting us to do. WerCOre not going to make BaldurrCOs Gate 4, which everybody is expecting us to do. WerCOre going to move on, werCOre going to move away from D&D, and werCOre going to start making a new thing,rCY he said.
Michael Douse, director of publishing at Larian, confirmed the news in a
post on X (formerly Twitter). rCLHad a lot of time to reflect on this incredible adventure as everyone has, and I canrCOt explain how excited I
am for the next. Hope you join us for that!rCY he wrote.
Vincke spoke more about the decision with Gamespot. He explained that he initially wanted to make more BaldurrCOs Gate, but decided against it.
rCLThatrCOs not what we were made for,rCY Vincke said. rCLThatrCOs literally the
opposite of what Larian is about. We want to do big, new things. We
donrCOt want to rehash the thing that werCOve done already.rCY
All of this doesnrCOt mean Larian wonrCOt continue to work on BaldurrCOs Gate 3. Just last month, Douse announced that the team would be working on a rCLcross-platform plan for mod support,rCY with implementation still many months away.
Hasbro, which owns Wizards of the Coast, recognized how successful
BaldurrCOs Gate 3 was in its 2023 financial report released last month. It stated that much of Wizard of the Coast and digital gamingrCOs growth can
be attributed to Monopoly Go!, Magic: The Gathering, and BaldurrCOs Gate
3. ItrCOs also been a huge success critically, winning multiple awards.
Just a day before the announcement, BaldurrCOs Gate 3 won four trophies at
the Game Developers Choice Awards (also put on by GDC), including game
of the year. It also won game of the year at The Game Awards in 2023.
Hasbro is therefore interested in growing its gaming output and leaning
on the BaldurrCOs Gate franchise, as company CEO Chris Cocks mentioned in
an earnings call to coincide with the report.
rCL2024 is about returning consumer products to profitability, investing
for long-term momentum in games, and driving significant improvements in HasbrorCOs bottom line [...] In short, werCOre putting all the right pieces together to keep investing in our growth initiatives while expanding the
ways our franchises reach fans through digital games,rCY Cocks said. rCLWe expect a long tail into 2024 and beyond for this mega hit.
However, Wizards of the Coast was hit with layoffs right before
Christmas 2023, massively impacting the D&D and Magic teams. This
includes the team that helped with BaldurrCOs Gate 3, according to Vincke.
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