Dragon Age veteran says Baldur’s Gate 3 probably won’t change the games industry the way we want it to

Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 is hands-down one of the best RPGs ever made, and it’s slew of Game of the Year Awards prove it. With Larian now moving on after the release of Patch 8, there’s hope that the studio’s work will inspire many, many others.

In a recent podcast episode, BioWare veteran and Dragon Age developer Mark Darrah explained that, while the should incite a shake-up in the industry, it’s impact may be more “muted” than many expect.

Mark Darrah believes Baldur’s Gate 3 will have a “muted” impact

In the YouTube podcast episode, titled “Impact and Sales are NOT the same”, Darrah explained that the massive cultural impact of Baldur’s Gate 3 has “broadened the genre” outside of its traditional audience. However, the game’s success probably won’t alter the way companies create video games.

“Baldur’s Gate 3 did change the landscape in terms of who was willing to look at an RPG,” the BioWare veteran said. “It broadened the genre space quite significantly, which is awesome. But I think its impact on the way that games are actually developed is going to be more muted than people who are outside the video game industry might be expecting.”

Darrah explained that the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 was due to “a perfect storm of factors”. Alongside using the Dungeons and Dragons IP, Larian’s decades of CRPG expertise and the space for years of early access development mixed to create one of the best games the industry has ever seen.

The BioWare veteran explained that the game is “able to do things that, at least from their side, feel like they may not be allowed to get away with”. While BG3 is a gorgeous game, Darrah believes that some AAA studios making RPGs may be criticised for silent protagonists, simpler cutscenes and other shortcuts that allow a team to focus on creating the “greater choice base” that makes the game great.

“What it’s trying to do isn’t something that a lot of other games would be allowed to do,” Darrah said of Baldur’s Gate 3. “So as a result, I don’t think it’s going to have the impact that you would expect from a game that has sold as well as it has.”

Nevertheless, Larian’s work on BG3 will undoubtedly have some form of effect on the games industry, even if it is rather “muted”. Alongside giving Larian the space and the funding to leave the game behind to focus on a mysterious new RPG, the game is also inspiring a bunch of indie developers to do their own thing.

While Larian is moving on from BG3, Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast have plans for the series’ future. Additionally, fans are working on their own plans to support the game for years to come with one massive mod team working on their own custom campaign with six-to-eight custom companions to play with.