Few predicted that the smash hit video game of 2023 would feature old-school game mechanics, hours of brooding cutscenes and a vexing learning curve.
Yet “Baldur’s Gate 3,” a 20-year-old title based on a 50-year-old role-playing game, has already become one of the highest-rated video games of all time.
“This is a very specific niche of game,” admitted Swen Vincke, the CEO of Larian, its developer. “We’ve never been about the money.”
Nonetheless, since Larian released the title in August 2023, the company has been raking in the money. And it has done this with a rare focus on elements like story and character, upending the industry’s conventional wisdom about what it takes to create a blockbuster game.
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“Convential wisdom” is just a reassuring way of saying “the narrative that corporations cling to in order to justify foisting halfassed shit on customers who will grudgingly accept it.”
Not just grudgingly accept, some will defend it. There’s this reflexive need some people seem to have to stand up and defend corporations from what they think is unreasonable anger from its own customers.
Literally anyone that actually likes video games could have predicted BG3’s success. It just requires actual work be put into games and the gaming industry is deathly allergic to doing that. Making FIFA 27361 and Madden 3189 is cheaper, safer and easier money than doing what BG3 did so thats what the industry tends to do.
Surprise hit? People were generally hyped for this game ever since its early access release 3 years ago.
Maybe it was a surprise since it didn’t fall extremely flat like every other hyped game lately.
The quality of the game was no suprise, but the popularity certainly was. This is not a genre that tends to go this mainstream.
Fair enough! Maybe I’ve just been hanging in circles where BG2 was big and the previous Larian games are beloved.
… And it has done this with a rare focus on elements like story and character, upending the industry’s conventional wisdom about what it takes to create a blockbuster game.
I think that says it all. People like stories and characters. Gee, who knew? lol. I haven’t played it yet but it’s on my list after seeing all the positive interest.
Do it! I got intrigued seeing online rumors about how good it was. I didn’t know how to play DnD or understand roleplaying mechanics at all. I didn’t really look up any tips and just suffered through 15-30 hours of complete bewilderment until I started to figure it out, but it was so enchanting and beautiful that I persisted. Game of a lifetime.
My suggestion is move it up. I don’t know where on your list it is but higher is probably better.
It’s a fantastic game. There’s still bugs, sometimes even major ones. Still easily worth your time though.
Its funny thinking about when elden ring came out of no where to be such a huge hit it was the exact opposite, barely any story or character development!
