Baldur's Gate 3's ambition deemed an "anomaly" by third-party developer while gamers want it to become standard

Baldur's Gate 3 being one of 2023's biggest games in terms of popularity and scale is a fact no one would disagree with. The latter is evident courtesy of its long and steady development cycle, ambitious scope, and more. The prior, on the other hand, is largely thanks to the game belonging to the beloved Baldur's Gate series of CRPGs.

No matter which way players look at it, Baldur's Gate 3 is a clear Game of the Year contender for 2023. Given its unparalleled scope in the modern RPG scene, there has been much hubbub over Larian Studios' latest project raising the bar for the entire genre. In fact, a row recently erupted on Twitter where a developer said that this should not be expected of RPGs often.

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How did gamers react to developer's claim of Baldur's Gate 3 being "an anomaly" for the gaming industry?

The claim was put forth by user @WritNelson, aka Xalavier Nelson Jr., in a thread. He is known for working on the indie game Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator. One tweet, in particular, has caused much drama, where he says:

"Like a lot of people, I'm deeply excited about what the lovely folks at Larian accomplished with Baldur's Gate 3, but I want to gently, pre-emptively push back against players taking that excitement and using it to apply criticism or a "raised standard" to RPGs going forward."

He cites many reasons why Baldur's Gate 3 is in such a picture-perfect position. Ample development time, large teams featuring hundreds of talented individuals, mature engine tech driving the game, consumer feedback via Early Access, and so on. All of this is true, and many players agree with this.

However, one statement, in particular, has baffled many:

Citing how these stars may not align for anyone ever again, he claims such a scope can be a destructive path for a studio from a financial and team health standpoint. But really, who is expecting that in the first place?

It is clear to even casual consumers that no 10-man team could helm such a complex and ambitious game without collapsing. Even Larian Studios took over half a decade to develop Baldur's Gate 3. Instead, this job is meant for AAA developers with Hollywood-level budgets and large talented teams.

Yes, it is no secret that the gaming industry has had its share of rocky development stories that have resulted in disasters - like the unforgettable Cyberpunk 2077 launch by CD Projekt RED.

Playing the devil's advocate here, Nelson Jr. is correct that Baldur's Gate 3 matches Rockstar Games' level of ambition. But, we can and should also sympathize with the fact that things do not always turn out as desired for studios. Cue Cyberpunk 2077 yet again as the perfect example of a game that suffered due to a plethora of internal problems.

Unfortunately, many gamers are not concerned with that matter. While some may be understanding of the detrimental effects of overbearing management or clashing design mantras and grant some leeway, most players are only concerned with getting a good, polished experience that has the maker's heart poured into it.

So it is not a shock to see this viewpoint from Nelson Jr. get much backlash from gamers who think this is a cop-out response:

Yes, the consumer is king as they spend hard-earned money on $60+ priced games, many of which turn out either mediocre or buggy. They do hence have the right to demand excellence at every turn.

Case in point, the recently released The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was a project beyond developer Daedalic Entertainment's capabilities. The game, with its poor design and gameplay, should not have seen the light of day.

In fact, studios should undoubtedly strive to deliver games that raise the bar for the industry. Just like legendary games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Half-Life 2, and more have done in the past.

But the invisible bottom line is that both groups, developers and consumers, are often given the short end of the stick by unruly management. Take the case of Warcraft 3 Reforged which, as per reports, turned out to be a mess thanks to publisher Activision-Blizzard's poor management and miniscule budget.

At the end of the day, some things truly cannot be helped on either side. So it is a messy situation with no silver lining for either developers or gamers. All we can hope for is that the stars continue to align for the release of well-rounded, polished games.

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Baldur's Gate 3 is out right now on PC via Early Access. The final launch arrives on August 3, 2023, on Steam, while the PlayStation 5 rendition is slated for September 5, 2023.