Baldur’s Gate 3 devs originally went for a truly “cartoony” art style, but I’m glad they didn’t go with it

Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 doesn’t look too different from the developer’s past work on Divinity: Original Sin. The game still has a grounded, albeit saturated look with stark colours and realistic proportions, but originally Larian set out to create something much different.

In a recent interview, Baldur’s Gate 3 lead character artist and current Larian Studios Art Director Alena Dubrovina explained that the studio went through numerous art styles before resting on the game’s final look. In fact, at one point, the game was supposed to be much more “cartoony” in nature.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s art style changed numerous times

Speaking on The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Project Red’s AnsweRED Podcast, Dubrovina revealed that Larian’s design process for the look of BG3 was a lot more difficult than many would assume.

The artist explained that the team ”tried more stylised approaches” during early development, a stark difference from the very grounded, psuedo-realistic look the studio was used to.

“I would even say [it was] a cartoony approach,” the artist explained. “To match it closer to what we see in indie books and indie art.”

Dubrovina explained that Larian went through numerous changes for the game’s art style. These weren’t just minor tweaks in aestetic, but the team tore the game’s visuals down and started from scratch a number of times before resting on the style we know today.

“We actually changes out design direction at least two times,” the then-lead character artist said. “And it was not just polish, but it was a complete turnaround.”

“I remember talking to a fellow character artist on our tea,” she said. “It was already half a year in and [he] was still just working on heads, and it was like, ‘Yeah, you’re getting there.’ Then it was like, ‘No, it’s not there.’ He was already kind of close to his limit.”

While I adore the indie styles of games like Hades or even Thank Goodness, You’re Here, I can’t imagine Baldur’s Gate 3 being as much of a success as it is without the more realistic art style the team eventually landed on. Simply because of that, I’m glad we have the style the game has today, simply because Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game that deserves to succeed.

Honestly, maybe BG3 would’ve still been a huge success with a more exaggerated, cartoon-y art style. Hell, the character designs of Larian’s official animated shorts—which we need way more of, by the way—look fantastic. Maybe we could even have characters that look like the official party’s terrible WizKids figures.

Right now, Larian Studios is working on two new games, both backed by the developer’s brand-new storytelling department. While the studio has explained that it’s too early to tell whether they’re working on a new Divinity game, that does seem likely. However, I hope that just one of the two projects does have a more exaggerated, cartoon-y art style. With the success of BG3 in their rearview, anything the developer does should succeed.