Swen Vincke Reveals Alternate Brands Larian Considered Before Baldur's Gate 3 Approval. „There Was Not a Lot to Choose From”
Baldur's Gate is one of the few brands that Swen Vincke considered as an opportunity for Larian Studios to attract a wider audience to the team's new game.
Fallout and Ultima are the only two RPG series that the Larian studio could have pursued if they hadn't been given the chance to develop Baldur's Gate 3. Swen Vincke revealed in an interview for Edge magazine (via GamesRadar / The Gamer) that he only considered these three brands in the context of his team's next project.
The head of Larian Studios was eager for the studio's next game to break the "glass ceiling," meaning that the project, in the style of Divinity: Original Sin 2, would reach a wider audience. This was the only way to ultimately determine if there was indeed a demand for this game.
This required, on one hand, "production values" at the level of high-budget AAA category games, but on the other hand, an appropriate budget and marketing. However, a recognizable brand was also necessary: to attract more developers to the Larian studio, who would allow the project to reach new heights.
In the same interview, Alena Dubrovna, the artistic director of BG 3, stated that third part was developed not only for veterans of Baldur's Gate and role-playing games in general, but also for "contemporary audiences." Therefore, Larian wanted to appeal to players who had no experience with the previous two installments of the series or with Dungeons & Dragons at all (via Games Radar).
That's why Vincke had very limited room for maneuver in terms of the brand. Hence the choice of three iconic series, which haven't received a new installment in the style of a classic turn-based RPG for a long time. Ultimately, we chose Baldur's Gate - and that's how we gained one of, in the opinion of many people, the best computer role-playing games of all time.
Surprisingly, the outstanding release of BG 3 has brought Larian Studios so much fame that the developer can now afford to let go of well-established brands. Moreover, we know that one of the studio's new games (code name: Excalibur) won't reach the world of Dungeons & Dragons, offering "something completely new." Another project is intended to "push many boundaries."
However, the plans of Swen Vincke and company wouldn't arouse such interest if it were not for the gigantic success of Baldur's Gate 3. BG 3 remains one of the most popular titles on Steam, with none of Larian Studios' previous games attracting such crowds.
