Baldur’s Gate 3’s record-breaking success has sparked a dialogue among veteran RPG developers about whether Larian Studios’ epic has set a new bar for the genre. While the consensus is that it hasn’t established universal new standards, many are taking inspiration from its boldness and willingness to defy conventions.
In a roundtable discussion with PC Gamer, senior developers from acclaimed studios like Obsidian Entertainment, CD Projekt Red, and indie auteurs weighed in on Baldur’s Gate 3’s impact. Carrie Patel, game director on Obsidian’s upcoming Avowed, stated the game “reinforced” her team’s philosophy of “creating a collaborative relationship with players” by offering meaningful choices that reward creativity.
Adrienne Bazir, the solo developer of In Stars and Time, echoed those sentiments, praising both Baldur’s Gate 3 and Disco Elysium for presenting moral choices that move beyond simple good/evil binaries. She hopes more games, big and small, embrace “straight up weird” options that let players experiment within the medium itself.
Sarah Gruemmer, acting lead quest designer on Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion, had a more measured take. As a non-D&D game, Cyberpunk can’t directly implement systems like dice-rolling combat. However, she believes there is still creative inspiration to be found in Baldur’s Gate 3’s approach.
Larian’s Swen Vincke, who led Baldur’s Gate 3’s development, humbly deflected the “new standard” label. But across the board, it’s clear the game has galvanized developers to keep pushing creative boundaries within their own distinct RPG visions.
For long-running studios like Obsidian, famed for player-driven adventures like The Outer Worlds, Baldur’s Gate 3 reaffirms their existing player-focused design philosophies. Newer voices like Bazir see it as a prime example of how to defy traditional genre tropes.
Even for a more gameplay-driven franchise like Cyberpunk, which can’t directly replicate D&D’s systems, Baldur’s Gate 3 stands as an inspiration to find innovative ways to surprise and empower players within their own established frameworks.
While not quite setting an across-the-board “new standard,” Baldur’s Gate 3 has proven to be a creative spark – paradoxically reinvigorating RPG developers’ existing values and aspirations, while encouraging them to push those principles in daring new directions. As the genre’s leading minds look to the future, the mindflayers and owlbears may take a backseat to more metaphysical adventures in letting players’ choices shape incredible, unconventional journeys.
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