Baldur's Gate 3: Setting New Standards in Triple-A Gaming

Did Larian Studios and Baldur’s Gate 3 open a can of worms since it was released on Windows on August 3, 2023?  After all, it was the first time in a long time a Triple-A company released a game that didn’t appear to have any serious flaws.  As far as over two million members of the gaming community who bought it were concerned, this was a refreshing experience.  For too long, including as recently as Activision-Blizzard’s Diablo IV, Triple-A companies grew too lax with the concept of releasing games that seemed either broken or incomplete.

Opening Gates and Worms
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What Larian Studios did as a team was produce a fully functional game that didn’t have nearly as many flaws as some of the more recent video games that have been coming out in the last few years.  Among honest gaming critics and fans, Baldur’s Gate 3 rightfully deserved praise as a high-quality game.  This was received straight from the get-go.  At first, the overall rating of the latest chapter in the Baldur’s Gate saga was overwhelmingly positive.

Then something happened that gave some of the critics and fans cause to change their reviews.  Was it the pressure poured on by certain Triple-A game developers and publishers that caused the shift in attitude towards Baldur’s Gate 3?  According to a growing number of members of the gaming community who’ve noticed, they do believe this is the case.

One of the biggest complaints about Baldur’s Gate 3 is that “it’s too big” by some of the reviewers who’ve criticized Larian Studios for apparently creating a gaming world that’s too big for their liking.  However, sales numbers don’t lie - at least when they’re honestly presented by reliable resources that track this sort of thing.  Furthermore, the number of records Baldur’s Gate 3 has been breaking when it comes to how many fans are playing the game doesn’t lie, either.

Another complaint is an odd, but not surprising one.  According to certain critics and Triple-A gaming companies, they feel Baldur’s Gate 3 made an error in judgment when it comes to the issue of microtransactions.  However, Larian Studios made it clear what they thought about the matter.  They also made clear they were more interested in pleasing the people instead of just taking as much money from them as they could.

Beyond Expectations
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Larian Studios admitted the fan appeal Baldur’s Gate 3 has received since it was released, combined with its impressive sales figures has surpassed their expectations.  Speaking as an active member of the gaming community, a growing number of gamers was becoming fed up with Triple-A companies leaving a long trail of disappointment in their wake.  As soon as Larian released Baldur’s Gate 3 on Windows, some of those Triple-A companies were quick to criticize the game and its development team.

What Larian Studios did which many Triple-A gaming companies haven’t been doing lately was pay attention to what the gamers wanted.  Demonstrating to be a development team that truly cared about its fans, Larian Studios worked with members of the gaming community to bring forth a video game that didn’t come across as broken or incomplete.

This was evident when Baldur’s Gate 3 allowed early release access to its fans on three gaming platforms on October 6, 2020.  While in beta mode, whatever issues Baldur’s Gate 3 gamers had were addressed, then fixed.  For over two years, Larian Studios and members of the gaming community who participated worked together until they were convinced Baldur’s Gate 3 was finally ready for official release.

Granted, Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t perfect.  It also has its own set of bugs and glitches.  However, it wasn’t released broken or incomplete.  It was released with the desire to satisfy genuine Baldur’s Gate fans, as well as entice new gamers to enjoy one of the most beloved series of the RPG genre.

Opening New Gates
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Since the release of Baldur’s Gate 3, members of the gaming community are wondering if the Triple-A companies that have been failing to produce high-quality games that aren’t broken will finally step up.  What Larian Studios has done with the Baldur’s Gate series was put people before profit.  Unlike too many development teams who’ve lost their way, Larian’s passion brought forth a top-quality video game they could be proud of.

With Baldur’s Gate 3, the heart and soul of Larian’s development team is evident.  This doesn’t seem to be the case with the majority of video games that have been released by most Triple-A companies for at least a few years.  Because of the failures exercised by such development teams and the publishers they work for, independently produced games have been taking over the spotlight more often than ever.

Between Larian Studios and game makers who truly seem to care about producing quality products, what they’ve done is open up a floodgate that can never be slammed shut again.  Oddly enough, that’s what some of the Triple-A companies have been trying to do.  What they don’t realize is the more they try to force something to satisfy their quest to put profit before people the more it backfires.

Larian’s Future
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 Founded by Belgium’s Swen Vincke, Larian has gone a long way since making casino games and educational games. Since 1996, Larian Studios has been one of the leading producers of quality role-playing games.  Members of the gaming community will also recognize this company as the team behind the Divinity series.

Prior to Baldur’s Gate 3, the series went through a total of six development teams and five publishers.  Along the way, even with all the changes of who got to do what, the desire to deliver top-quality RPG games to a finicky fan base never waned.  Now as the developer and publisher, the future of Larian Studios looks as bright as it can be now that Baldur’s Gate 3 has proven to be a smashing success.

There is a universal hope among members of the gaming community that the majority of Triple-A companies realize they need to step up their game.  In the meantime, it appears as if Larian Studios has no trouble staying on top of theirs.  While Baldur’s Gate 3 may seem “too big” for some, fans who truly love the vastness of a quality RPG game will disagree.  Speaking as a gamer that has a reputation for being a completionist, the idea of pouring endless hours into Baldur’s Gate 3 is more appealing than what some of the recent RPG games that have been released have to offer.