One of the directors of Baldur's Gate 3 recently recalled that after knowing he was going to make the latest installment in the classic mega-RPG series, he quickly "went from joy to anxiety in a matter of seconds."
PLAY Magazine recently caught up with Farhang Namdar, Director of Worldbuilding for Baldur's Gate 3, to discuss their earliest memories of Larian's first production of the title. When game director and Larian studio head Swen Vincke first told the team about a new Baldur's Gate title, their emotions went through a huge rollercoaster.
Namdar recalls, "I remember the day Swen told me our next project was Baldur's Gate 3. In just a few seconds, my clarity went from joy to anxiety. We often joke about this, so in many ways it's a dream come true. ”
"It was a privilege to develop the next installment of this groundbreaking series, but it was also a lot of pressure. We just knew that we had to make something unique to travel our commitment to the fans, although it wasn't easy to follow up on what is recognized as one of the best RPGs of all time. ”
Recognized as "one of the best RPGs of all time" is BioWare's Baldur's Gate 2: Shadow of Am, released in 2000. Not only was the game well-received after its launch, but it is still loved by the RPG community today. More than a decade after its initial launch, the game was remastered in 2013.
Developing a sequel after having the height of the previous game, let alone finding his place in a series from another developer, was naturally stressful for Larian. But in the end, they proved themselves: Baldur's Gate 3 won Game of the Year in all five of the world's most important awards, and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. As Todd Howard of B Agency said, the success of Larian's Baldur's Gate 3 was not sudden, and they have been making excellent RPGs, such as Divinity: Original Sin 2, which has always been highly regarded by players.