Summary
To the disappointment of many fans, Larian Studios has announced that it won’t be makingBaldur’s Gate 4despite winning 2023’s Game of the Year award with the third entry in the series. Still, that doesn’t mean the Belgium-based studio is sitting on its hands and indulging in the success of its biggest game to date. Instead, it is hard at work on a pair of new projects and has opened a studio in Warsaw, Poland, to facilitate this, promising games that will eclipse evenBaldur’s Gate 3, which is quite the claim.
Larian now has studios in Barcelona, Dublin, Gent, Guildford, Kuala Lumpur, Quebec, and Warsaw.
Swen Vinckehas stated on X (formerly Twitter) that he already has the first act of a new game figured out, but the studio hasn’t stated what the new project will be other than that it will be based on Larian’s own IPs. It should be noted thatBaldur’s Gatewas never a Larian IP and that it was given the series by Wizards of the Coast to make a long-awaited sequel. With the studio deciding to work on its own IPs, it will have more freedom, and theDivinityseries is the perfect franchise to add to.
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Alongside new companions to get to know, Baldur’s Gate 3 also sees some familiar characters returning from previous installments in the series.
Larian Isn’t Making Baldur’s Gate 4, But Divinity: Original Sin 3 Is A Better Option Anyway
Divinity Is Larian’s Biggest IP
Those who have only playedBaldur’s Gate 3can be forgiven for knowing very little about Larian’sDivinityseries. This is the series that put the studio on the map, andit could be argued that the success ofDivinity: Original Sin 2is what earned them the honor to makeBG3in the first place since the games share many similar systems. TheOriginal Sinseries, in particular, shows Larian’s dedication to the CRPG genre, and it reasons that it will continue in this vein.
TheDivinityseries began withDivine Divinity, released in 2002. It is an ARPG, with gameplay reminiscent of theDiabloseries.
WithSwen Vincke’s mention of a new ambitious RPG,it likely means that this game will follow the structure set by theOriginal Sinseries and later used inBaldur’s Gate 3. With Larian mentioning that it will be using its own IP, it would make sense for it to make a newDivinitygame, specificallyOriginal Sin 3,since the studio has been on a roll with its CRPGs. It could be a better option thanBaldur’s Gate 4since Larian would have as much freedom as it wants to work with its own IP.
Before beginning work onBaldur’s Gate 3,Larian was working on a sequel toOriginal Sin 2,titledDivinity: Fallen Heroes. It was planned to be a direct sequel, with the cast fromOriginal Sin 2, including Malady, The Red Prince, Lohse, and more returning, but was officially canceled on June 02, 2025. The work done onFallen Heroesbefore its cancelationcould be used for the new project, such as some story ideas and characters, especially if the new project is anotherDivinitygame.
Baldur’s Gate 4 Wouldn’t Work With Larian
Wizards Of The Coast Are Not The Same Company That Greenlit BG3
Swen Vinckehas been vocal and open on X about working with Wizards of the Coast and theD&DIP. Although he praised the partnership and was glad to be given"carte blanche,“this working relationship may not be achievable again since it has been some time sinceBG3first entered development. According to Vincke,so many people at Wizards have been let go that almost no one from the original meeting room who greenlitBG3is there. A continued working relationship may not grant Larian the same level of freedom that madeBG3so good.
Baldur’s Gate 3began development in late 2016. It took over six years to develop, although this process was delayed by COVID.
Larian is a studio that puts wacky ideas into its games from time to time and thrives with freedom and creativity. This is likely the reason that ittook a step back from theBaldur’s Gateseriessince another game would still have to be set and adhere to the world ofD&D, even if the studio had a decent amount of freedom. With a newDivinitygame or a title based on a brand-new IP, Larian would be able to literally do anything they want and continue to thrive at making massively detailed RPGs.
The Divinity 4 Engine was developed forBaldur’s Gate 3and has impressed players with its visuals. It is a brilliant engine for CRPGs and allows Larian to make more cinematic dialogue scenes, which it will likely implement going forward. Continuing to name the engine after theDivinityfranchise shows Larian’s respect for the series that got it where it is today and, hopefully, means that it will make aDivinitygame with this new, powerful engine or an augmented version of it.
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Larian’s Next Game Will Be Its Own IP
Although One Can Hope Divinity: Original Sin 3 Is On The To-Do List
Larian is in a relatively unique place after the release ofBaldur’s Gate 3. No matter what it does, the gaming industry is eagerly waiting for its next project because of what the studio has managed to achieve.BG3isn’t an outlier eithersince the studio has a history of making great games, especially CRPGswith theDivinity: Original Sinseries. Now, it has the budget to be as adventurous as it wants, as well as the good will of most of the gaming industry.
The added budget ofBG3allowed Larian to implement motion capture for the first time.
Making a newDivinity: Original Singame as the first title to follow upBG3would be the best way to make the IP as big as possible with all the eyes on Larian at the moment. There is also the benefit of many voice actors who have worked with the studio on several projects possibly returning in the future, such as Amelia Tyler playing both The Narrator inBG3and Malady inD:OS2.It seems that everything is set up for a newDivinitygame to be a massive successwith the freedom it would bring.
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Although most of themainstream audience likely wantsBaldur’s Gate 4, it won’t be made by Larian Studios. That doesn’t mean another studio won’t pick up the game instead since the series has already changed hands a couple of times, and it also won’t stop Larian from breaking boundaries in the RPG genre. It will continue to make the best games it can and the gaming industry will be all the richer for it.
