Has Baldur’s Gate 3 set the bar too high?

A number of developers have voiced concerns about Baldur’s Gate 3 being seen as the new standard for RPGs, prompting Larian Studios to respond. The conversation was sparked by a Twitter thread in which a developer argued that Baldur’s Gate 3 should be seen as an anomaly for a number of reasons, and other industry veterans agreed.

The Concerns Expressed by Developers

A Twitter thread from developer Xalavier Nelson Jr. raised the concerns about Baldur’s Gate 3. Nelson argued that Larian Studios took a massive risk in developing the game and that the process they used cannot necessarily be replicated by other studios, even big companies. Nelson expressed concerns that players will expect all studios to follow the same route regardless of feasibility and circumstances.

“Trying to do the same thing in the same way, especially without the same advantages, could kill an entire group of studios,” Nelson cautioned. Developers from other prestigious studios including Obsidian, Blizzard, and Insomniac Games agreed with Nelson’s perspective.

Larian Studios Responds

Speaking to PC Gamer, Larian founder Swen Vincke expressed his confusion over the debate. He believes that in the games industry, “standards die every day.” Vincke emphasizes that new things appear all the time, and points out that when he was starting out in the industry, Assassin’s Creed was considered the new standard.

“It was over—nobody could make games like Assassin’s Creed, there was too much budget behind it, that was going to be the future, everybody had to consolidate, blah blah blah. That didn’t materialize. In video games there’s so much free space to explore, still, in the creative tree,” Vincke said.

Baldur’s Gate 3 and Its Success

Despite the concerns raised by developers, Baldur’s Gate 3 has undeniably set the bar high in the gaming industry. The game has achieved tremendous success right out of the gate and has received an aggregate score surpassing that of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.