‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ dev says it won’t elevate the “standard” for RPGs because something cooler will come along

In response to the debate surrounding whether Baldur’s Gate 3 should establish a “new standard” for the role-playing genre, Larian Studios has expressed the view that the gaming industry moves too swiftly for any standards to truly settle.

Swen Vincke, the CEO of Larian Studios and the creative director of Baldur’s Gate 3, shared this perspective during an interview on the latest episode of the Friends Per Second podcast (via PCGamesN).

Reflecting on his experience, Vincke recalled, “When I started out, Ubisoft launched Assassin’s Creed, and everybody was saying, ‘everything’s going to be like Assassin’s Creed, you’re all doomed, no one’s going to be able to make this game anymore.’”

He emphasized that while Baldur’s Gate 3 has benefited from a large team, there is still immense potential for developers to create new and unique experiences, rather than simply copying or emulating the upcoming fantasy role-playing game.

Regarding standards, Vincke stated, “When it comes to standards, they are constantly evolving, so I don’t believe that is something people should be concerned about with Baldur’s Gate 3. Games like ours are highly specific, reflecting our own creative vision and expertise developed over two decades.”

Established in 1996, Larian Studios has a rich history of developing numerous games, including educational titles, but it is most renowned for its Divinity series.

Vincke concluded, “I don’t think there’s such a thing as a game that sets the ‘standard’ for everyone else to follow, because tomorrow someone else will come up with something innovative and remarkable. Standards change so rapidly that they become obsolete.”

In other gaming news, the Path of Exile 2 team expressed sympathy for Blizzard Entertainment following the negative response to patch 1.1.1 of Diablo 4.