There have been some incredible video games arriving throughout 2023, but the full release of Baldur's Gate 3 in August is a serious front-runner for Game of the Year. Larian Studios, previously best-known for the Divinity games, have delivered a groundbreaking game: Baldur's Gate 3. This new game provides players with an experience so vast and rewarding that it could well alter the landscape of gaming moving forward.
But such success will always bring with it a newfound sense of expectation within the industry. From here comes the question — should Baldur's Gate 3 set the bar to a new height and become an industry standard for future releases?
Why Baldur's Gate 3 Is So Good
Baldur's Gate 3 has been a long time coming, but the results are undeniably impressive. Baldur's Gate 3 is an RPG that thrives on the freedom of Dungeons & Dragons. From player customization in appearance, race, and class to choices made in every interaction, it is all-but impossible for any two players to have the same playthrough. Decisions have active consequences on the world around the player, unlike other titles that give a false pretense of huge decisions actually mattering in the long run. Dungeons & Dragons has focused on letting players embracing the freedom to do whatever they want, and Baldur's Gate 3 really delivers on this promise.
If they wish to do so, players can even choose one of the main companions as their protagonist, seeing the story through the eyes of a familiar face. These companions all have their own stories to tell, but can be shunned or killed off if that's what the player wants to happen. Dice rolls add an extra layer to the freedom to make choices. These dice rolls then determine whether the player is successful in their chosen course of action, which won't always work out for the best. Mixing active decision-making with pot-luck is an incredible way to ensure immersion but also encourages another playthrough to explore other paths and outcomes.
The Wonders Of Larian Studios
The list of Baldur's Gate 3's triumphs and overwhelming pros could fill an entire book of their own, but credit needs to go to Larian Studios. Larian Studios were approached by Wizards of the Coast back in 2017 to work on this latest Baldur's Gate title, following their impressive Divinity: Original Sin 2. This project took a long time to perfect. The fact they had the time to work such perfection is a rarity in this industry. Larian Studios had a dedicated team working on this huge game. Such time and general resources are luxuries few developers get.
What should be noted is that Larian took incredible risks in making Baldur's Gate 3. The time and money sunk into this mammoth project could've destroyed a smaller company if it didn't land as much success as it has. Yet it is with this leap of faith, years of hard work, and incredible professionalism that created a game many will see as the golden standard moving forward. With Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios gave players everything they could ever want in a game, including zero microtransactions on top of a huge and complete game.
The Pressures That Baldur's Gate 3's Success Brings To The Industry
Larian Studios should be celebrated for its success on Baldur's Gate 3, but this game raises questions regarding expectations within the industry. Game developers are rightly apprehensive about the masses expecting Baldur's Gate 3 levels of quality with every single release to come from now on. This can't be avoided. Baldur's Gate 3's existence as a top game will always cause players to use it as a measure of comparison. Game of Thrones is there for fantasy television series, The Walking Dead for anything to do with zombies, with Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring as two of many pioneers for the open-world resurgence of recent years.
Baldur's Gate 3 will always loom over future role-playing releases, as its storytelling and freedom in choice are just that good. However, many developers who have voiced their concerns have received hate for their take — which isn't exactly wrong. These developers are acknowledging how good Baldur's Gate 3 is as a game, but are simultaneously considering the future of the entire industry. Most studios don't have the luxury of time or resources to make a masterpiece like Larian managed. Most studios must contend with the pressures of publishers demanding releases way ahead of a realistic schedule. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Pokémon Scarlet & Violet are examples of games that had disastrous releases, riddled with performance issues that simply couldn't be ironed out within their given timeframe. An unfortunate truth is that gamers will always expect their money's worth on release regardless of a studio's situation, and an onslaught of dissatisfaction is guaranteed if their needs aren't met.
So Should Baldur's Gate 3 Be Seen As An Industry Standard?
Players feel that they have a right to expect perfection from a game they spend their hard-earned money on, and they do to an extent, as everyone has a right to an opinion. When a game as good as Baldur's Gate 3 comes along, the gaming community will naturally expect other companies to produce titles at this level. Many have already voiced their opinions on how other developers should "up their game" and improve to keep up with Baldur's Gate 3, but this isn't entirely fair.
Baldur's Gate 3 deserves to be celebrated as one of the best storytelling games out there. However, the gaming community should also recognize that the game ticks too many other boxes to count in terms of maintaining and surpassing expectations. Baldur's Gate 3 will always be used as a comparison to future role-playing games. This is simply unavoidable. But such pressures should never take away from a game's own successes. There could be incredible role-playing games to come in the future that touch on near perfection, except for the fact they are lacking the scale, versatility, and freedom Baldur's Gate 3 boasts. These games should be judged on what they deliver, not on what Baldur's Gate 3 did better than them. Since Baldur's Gate 3 could well be a once in a lifetime game, fans and players should appreciate it as such, while giving other games a chance.
Other Bar-Setting Games
Games that set the bar and raise general expectations for a specific genre have an everlasting presence. This means that any future releases that don't stamp their own mark on the industry will be seen as a "clone" or "like" of this particular game. Super Mario Bros. has dominated the platforming world for decades at this point, across both 2D and 3D, and now even dominates the racing genre with Mario Kart. Games like Disney Speedstorm will always be compared to Mario Kart because of this reputation, just as any crossover fighting game like MultiVersus will be compared to Super Smash Bros.
Groundbreaking Game | Genre |
|---|---|
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Crossover Fighting |
Red Dead Redemption 2 | Western Action-Adventure |
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild | Open World |
Mario Kart 8 | Racing |
Super Mario Odyssey | Platformer |
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Action Role-Playing |
Baldur's Gate 3 is going to be seen as one of the greatest ever role-playing games from now on, and deserves to held on the same level as RPG greats like Disco Elysium and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. However, setting the bar doesn't have to negatively affect how other games are experienced. If anything, these top-tier games should serve as motivation for the industry to adapt and strive for better — just as long as their resources and limits allow for it.
What Can Be Learned From Baldur's Gate 3's Success?
There is plenty to take from the success story that is Larian Studios and Baldur's Gate 3. Larian has provided players with a perfect role-playing experience that takes from the very best of Dungeons & Dragons, offering complete freedom and countless possibilities to explore. This in-turn will encourage players to keep coming back in order to tackle the game from a different angle and perspective. Playing solo or with friends only adds further to this replayability.
Baldur's Gate 3 is a product of many years of hard work that other studios don't really have for their projects. Baldur's Gate 3 deserves to be remembered as one of the best RPGs of all time, but the sheer scale of the game shouldn't warp overall expectation. Harmless comparisons with other titles are fine since it ultimately helps the industry learn and grow, but the shadow of Baldur's Gate 3 should never loom so large that it drastically affects other studios and their future releases. At its absolute best, Baldur's Gate 3 peaked at over 875,000 concurrent players, a stat that can't be overlooked and a testament to how good this game truly is. Baldur's Gate 3 will continue to break records and shatter expectations, and in an ideal world, this should help the industry grow and expand.