Larian Scraps Playable Baldur's Gate 4 Prototype

As Larian Studios, the creators of 2023's game of the year—Baldur's Gate 3—prepare for their next endeavors, studio CEO Swen Vincke has recently disclosed more behind-the-scenes details on the game they're concluding work on.

A Sequel to BG3 Was Already “Playable” According to LarianBG3 DLC and BG4 Ultimately Abandoned as Larian Moves On from Franchise

In a recent interview with PC Gamer, Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke disclosed that they had a sequel to Baldur's Gate 3 under development before opting to pursue new ventures. This sequel was already in a "playable" state and something fans "would have enjoyed."

"It's something that you all would have enjoyed, I think," Vincke stated. "I'm certain, actually. And we actually progressed rapidly, because the production apparatus was still active. You could already play aspects of it. But you played it and you assessed it, and, like, you know, this is adequate." According to Vincke, however, after years of developing a Dungeons & Dragons-related game, the team was hesitant to dedicate further time to the IP. "I mean, we'll probably have to revise it 10 times. And do we really want to do this for the next three years?"

While Baldur's Gate 4 seemed like a viable option, the prospect of investing additional years in a similar project wasn't attractive to Vincke or the developers. Vincke mentioned that the studio believed it was time to pursue their original concepts and bring them to fruition.

Morale Remains High at Larian Studios

"We should be considering how we can pursue projects that genuinely enthrall us," he said. After discussions with his teams, the decision was made to proceed differently. Following their triumph at The Game Awards 2023, Larian Studios progressed and chose to forgo Baldur's Gate 3's sequel, declining to develop a follow-up to the 2023 Game of the Year winner.

"I don't believe, as developers, we've felt more invigorated since making that decision [to not create BG4]," Vincke said. "Honestly, the sense of liberation is indescribable. Morale is exceptionally high, simply because we're embarking on new endeavors."

"We'll continue patching for a period and then we'll all enjoy a vacation before determining our next steps," senior product manager Tom Butler stated at the time. With concepts for Baldur's Gate 4 and a Baldur's Gate 3 expansion set aside for the same reasons, Larian is now concentrating on their two forthcoming, unannounced projects, which Vincke described as their most ambitious yet.

Before working on the Baldur’s Gate series, Larian Studios previously developed the Divinity series, which might receive another installment now that Larian has distanced itself from Dungeons & Dragons. Shortly before BG3’s release in August last year, Vincke stated that a sequel to Divinity: Original Sin was "definitely on the horizon," but the team needed to focus on Baldur’s Gate 3 first. Although details of these projects remain undisclosed, Vincke indicated that their next project for that series won’t be Divinity: Original Sin 3, stating that it will differ from fan expectations.

Meanwhile, Baldur's Gate 3's final major patch is slated for release sometime in fall 2024, incorporating official mod support, cross-play, and novel malevolent conclusions.