Will there ever be a Baldur's Gate 4? Hasbro looks to be finding it tricky to secure a dev up to the task of following BG3

Competing against Baldur's Gate 3 'would be insanity' according to a co-lead designer on BG2 who was approached by Hasbro to take on BG4.

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Darren Allan

Tech Reporter

Published Jul 2, 2026 2:05 PM CDT
Updated Jul 2, 2026 3:51 PM CDT

2 minutes & 30 seconds read time

TL;DR: Hasbro is reportedly struggling to find a developer to take on the challenge of making Baldur's Gate 4 simply due to the high expectations set by Baldur's Gate 3. James Ohlen, a co-lead designer on Baldur's Gate 2, was apparently approached to take on the project, but declined, with his reasons being illuminating to say the least.

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Is Baldur's Gate 4 ever going to happen? Hopefully, yes, but the problem is that Baldur's Gate 3 is such a tough act to follow that it's seemingly difficult to find a dev team up for the challenge of making the next instalment.

It's just a fancy Rubix Cube, Shadowheart. Right? (Image Credit: Larian)

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PC Gamer reports that after Baldur's Gate 3 was a storming success, and Larian decided to leave the franchise (which wasn't an immediate departure, if you recall, and Larian did actually begin work on BG4 for a short time), Hasbro looked around for someone to take up the next iteration in the heavyweight RPG franchise.

The second person Hasbro asked to take on BG4 was James Ohlen, an ex-BioWare developer who headed up Archetype - the development studio making Exodus for Hasbro (Wizards of the Coast) - who was a co-lead designer on Baldur's Gate 2. Indeed, Kevin Martens, the other co-lead designer on BG2, was also at Archetype.

Read more: Baldur's Gate 3 isn't coming to Nintendo Switch 2 - but would've been if it was up to Larian

At any rate, Ohlen turned Hasbro down. PC Gamer tells us that Ohlen said: "The day [Chris Cox, Hasbro CEO] knew they [Larian] weren't going to do it, he called me. 'Hey James, what do you think about doing Baldur's Gate 4?' And I was like, 'I don't, I would fail, and here's why I would fail.'"

Ohlen observed: "I wouldn't want to compete against that. Doing Exodus is hard enough, but having to compete against Baldur's Gate 3? That would be insanity."

Ohlen noted that BG3 really stemmed from Larian's work on the Divinity: Original Sin games, and that he would need to start from scratch without Larian's engine - a task that would represent "at least half a decade of horror, building all that stuff".

In fact, Ohlen has since left Archetype, apparently due to experiencing burnout as PC Gamer reports. Martens remains at the developer, though, and is seemingly on board for the remaster of Baldur's Gate 2.

As to what could happen with Baldur's Gate 4 eventually, that's still very much up in the air. Clearly it's a massive opportunity to capitalize on the success of BG3, but equally it's a massive weight of expectations to carry and live up to.

Baldur's Gate 3 is without doubt an absolute classic of an RPG, an adventure of a frankly mind-boggling scope. It's the most fun I've had on my PS5 Pro, and BG3 took up some 250 hours of my life over the past winter (yes, I came to the game late).

I can see why prospective developers are wary, that's for sure.

Mind you, despite its brilliance, there are ways in which BG3 can be improved. I'd like to see the combat mechanics and rules streamlined somewhat, and to have fewer little fiddly bits and pieces of loot strewn across tables and the like.

Frequently Asked Questions

TweakBot answers common questions about this news using TweakTown's own coverage from this page and related content from our archive. Tap a question to reveal the answer, or type your own below.

Question 01

If a new studio takes on Baldur's Gate 4, would they need to build a custom engine similar to Larian's or could they reuse existing tech like the Divinity engine?

According to the article, a new studio would likely need to build engine tech from scratch rather than reuse Larian's. James Ohlen said BG3 grew out of Larian's work on the Divinity games and that without Larian's engine starting fresh would mean "at least half a decade of horror, building all that stuff."

Answered

Question 02

How long might it realistically take a different developer to create Baldur's Gate 4 given the need to match BG3's scope and systems?

James Ohlen estimated it would take "at least half a decade of horror" to build from scratch the engine and systems needed to match Baldur's Gate 3's scope. He said starting without Larian's tech would require roughly five or more years of work.

Answered

Question 03

Would a studio working on BG4 be expected to maintain BG3-style co-op and save/loot systems, or could they change core multiplayer mechanics without alienating players?

Click to reveal answer

Question 04

What specific development risks or resource demands (eg. combat systems, world interactivity, coop syncing) did James Ohlen cite that make taking on BG4 particularly daunting?

James Ohlen said the main risks and resource demands were having to build from scratch without Larian’s engine, which would mean "at least half a decade of horror, building all that stuff," and the impossibility of competing against Baldur's Gate 3 given its scale and quality. He implied the technical and tooling effort to recreate systems Larian developed made taking on BG4 "insanity."

Answered

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No, you don't have to loot them - but try playing coop with a partner who insists on picking up every silver knife, candlestick and soap dish that's going. We ended the game with quite a lot of spare gold, put it this way...