The DnD burnout: Why Larian Studios' next game will not be as ambitious as Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 is the biggest game in town right now, one that has garnered the attention of both fans and naysayers. It has undoubtedly played a major role in putting developer Larian Studios on the radar for the mainstream RPG crowd, and rightfully so, given how ambitious the scope of the latest Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) RPG is.

While the studio's efforts have paid off, it has not been all sunshine and roses for them. This is also why it is looking forward to smaller-scale projects in the coming future.

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Larian Studios wants something more manageable in scope after the back-breaking effort into Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the most ambitious RPGs of this decade (Image via Larian Studios)

It is no secret that Baldur's Gate 3 is Larian Studios' biggest game yet. In fact, the scope of the title ballooned past the Divinity Original Sin 2 developer's initial impressions. Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg, CEO Swen Vincke opened up about the challenges faced by the studio when tackling this gargantuan challenge.

It all began when Dungeons and Dragons IP holder Wizards of the Coast got in touch with Larian Studios to ask them if they wanted reign over creating the next Baldur's Gate game.

Now, DnD is one of the biggest RPG franchises in the history of the entertainment medium, and Baldur's Gate is no different. With the original games developed by BioWare, this was a massive undertaking for Larian Studios.

Baldur's Gate 3 saw Larian Studios expand development to include over 400 employees across six branches around the globe. The studio also had to up its game with approaches and decisions that it had little reason to consider in the past.

Vincke elaborated upon this matter in the interview:

“It’s like making a movie — or many movies at the same time. We didn’t expect we’d need a lighting team, or a cinematics QA team or such a large audio team.”

Going big also affected team efficiency and communication, according to Vincke, but Larian Studios had no other choice. This was the sacrifice it had to make to amp things up to 11 and blow everyone's socks off. Throw in further hurdles posed by the COVID pandemic from 2020 onwards, as well as the Russia-Ukraine tension affecting their St. Petersburg branch, and it has not been ideal in the slightest.

Despite all of this, things worked out for Larian Studios in the end. So much so that other developers have deemed this instance an "anomaly" in the recent controversy surrounding Baldur's Gate 3.

As such, Vincke wants to reel things in. He has expressed the desire not to spend another six years working on a single game.

Given the immense pressure and effort the team has undergone while making Baldur's Gate 3, that is an understandable sentiment. The game boasts some of the best RPG graphics yet, complex battle and roleplaying mechanics, roughly 600 spells, 17,000 ending variations, and much more. This makes it one of the most advanced RPGs on the market right now.

Larian Studios has managed to not just create a successful entry in a beloved RPG franchise but also exceed expectations. In fact, this begs the question: Will the studio even be able to one-up themselves in the future?

Larian Studios is all about quality over quantity, which is why it takes its time with games. It is only fair to say that it deserves a rest to avoid burnout.

Dipping its toes into multiple projects has not worked out for Larian Studios in the past, as seen with the cancellation of Divinity spin-offs like Divinity: Fallen Heroes to focus on one game.

This stance doesn't just ensure a polished, high-quality product that impresses gamers but also a slickly greased development cycle the studio can be proud of.