Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian is moving on, so Hasbro is looking for a new studio to make 4

Baldur's Gate 3 is not only one of 2023's most celebrated games but is widely considered one of the best RPGs ever made, an iconic release that will influence RPGs for years. Developer Larian is still hard at work on the game, with the upcoming Patch 7 set to expand and improve the branching story's "evil endings" with new cutscenes.

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However, as part of a recent communityupdate on Steam, Larian confirmed that the studio is already working on its next game, and won't be Baldur's Gate 4. The studio's next two games will be moving on from the world of Dungeons & Dragons.

"After six years in the Forgotten Realms and much discussion and rumination, we've decided to seize the opportunity to develop our own IPs," Larian wrote. "We're currently working on two new projects, and we couldn't be more excited about what the future has in store." So, what does it mean for Baldur's Gate 4? Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast are figuring that out.

It seems Hasbro will move quickly on sorting out where the franchise goes next; it won't be leaving the series to go dormant as it did between Baldur's Gate 2 and 3. Speaking with PC Gamer, Eugene Evans, senior vice president of Digital Strategy and Licensing for Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, talked about the future of Baldur's Gate. It's already talking to potential studios and partners.

"We're now talking to lots of partners and being approached by a lot of partners who are embracing the challenge of, what does the future of the Baldur's Gate franchise look like?" Eugene Evans said. "So we certainly hope that it's not another 25 years, as it was from Baldur's Gate 2 to 3, before we answer that. But we're going to take our time and find the right partner, the right approach, and the right product that could represent the future of Baldur's Gate."

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Baldur's Gate 3 is praised for many things, the story and characters being one. All of the companions and memorable faces in the game are owned by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, even though the talented team at Larian created them, so it's safe to assume that a direct sequel is being considered.

Still, we're talking about Level 100 Golden Boots that whoever picks up the series will have to fill. If development on Baldur's Gate 4 were to kick off later this year, only a handful of studios could create an RPG with this size and scope. Larian Studios has over 400 employees, so we're talking about a AAA-sized production.