Baldur’s Gate 3 has been an incredible journey for developers Larian Studios, spanning over 6 years from the game’s early access launch in 2020 to its full release in 2024. But all good things must come to an end, and for Larian, that end is in sight with the upcoming Patch 7, which will add official mod support tools to the acclaimed RPG.
In a recent BAFTA masterclass (thanks to Eurogamer), Larian CEO Swen Vincke referred to Patch 7 as essentially the studio’s final act for Baldur’s Gate 3. With modding tools released to the community, Vincke says, “That will be the point where we’re going to say, ‘Ok, now it’s yours fully'” as the developers step back and hand the game over to players to expand and shape it themselves.
Of course, Larian won’t completely abandon the game after Patch 7 drops in September. Critical bug fixes will still be issued as needed. However, Vincke made it clear that “you will see the level of support diminished” as the team shifts its focus away from the intense live service development cycle of “working as if the game was just out.”
For Larian, it’s time to move on to new creative endeavors after over half a decade spent realizing their incredible vision for Baldur’s Gate 3 in the Forgotten Realms. As Vincke put it, “We’re creative spirits also – we don’t want to keep on doing the same thing, we really want to move forward and do new things.”
Those new things include at least two brand new games set in original worlds rather than established D&D lore. An expanded team, including a new Polish studio, is hard at work, with ambitions for these unannounced projects to be “our best work ever,” according to Vincke’s confident “hype” last year.
While saying goodbye to the world of Baldur’s Gate will surely be bittersweet, longtime fans can take solace in the fact that the journey isn’t quite over. The game’s newly unlocked modding potential means an entire community can continue creating new adventures, gameplay experiences, and stories for years to come.
Somewhere out there, the future of RPG storytelling is taking shape in Larian’s biggest undertaking yet. What it will be, nobody knows, but we’re now certain that it won’t be DLC for Baldur’s Gate 3 or even a sequel to the award-winning title.
