The role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3 is now a complete success and even sparks a discussion that it might set the bar for new role-playing games so high that studios could break under it. But why is the game already so perfectly polished at release?
What is this discussion about?
- An indie developer stated on Twitter that Baldur’s Gate 3 is so good because it enjoys a number of advantages that no other game can easily imitate. Attempting to reach this level of quality could lead studios to fail.
- Subsequently, the site IGN released a video claiming: Baldur’s Gate 3 is so good that game developers panic. The question is raised: Why don’t more games release as perfectly polished as Baldur’s Gate 3? Developers should not resist the new standards but accept them.
- A blog post by Brandon Sheffield criticized this video: Baldur’s Gate 3 was sold as an unfinished game at full price for three years. This is the only reason the developers can now afford this “perfectly polished” launch.
Baldur’s Gate 3 sets new standards because the team utilizes unique advantages
Why is Baldur’s Gate 3 so good? The indie developer Xalavier Nelson Jr. explains on Twitter that Baldur’s Gate 3 enjoyed several advantages during its development that put it in a special situation (via Twitter):
- The game has been in development since 2017
- Two massive games and their Definitive Editions served as precursors to develop the technology and knowledge – Referring to Divinity Original Sin I and II (2014 and 2017)
- The early access of Baldur’s Gate 3 lasted over 3 years and provided a lot of feedback
- The studio employed 400 developers at 7 locations
- The game has a huge license in the background with Dungeons and Dragons, which is at the peak of its relevance, especially due to the film
Baldur’s Gate 3 is not a new standard for role-playing games – it is an anomaly. Attempting to replicate this “mega-game” could lead many studios to ruin, especially if they do not enjoy the same advantages as Larian with Baldur’s Gate 3.
This point is raised in the IGN video: In the 9-minute video from IGN, the question is raised, why doesn’t every new game launch as polished and well as Baldur’s Gate 3.
The IGN journalist demands that studios should not resist that Baldur’s Gate 3 sets a new standard but accept it and raise their own standard.
As an example of the currently low standards of studios, Destiny 2 and Diablo 4 are mentioned, which are accused of selling too much loot that should actually be found in the game via the cash shop.
Studios must sell their game to finish their game
What does the blog post say? The blog post by Sheffield clarifies the reasons why games with bugs make it to release: Developers are under financial and time pressure due to external circumstances and have to bring the game out to be able to fund its completion. In most cases, they have no control over their budget.
The completion of the game is achieved through DLCs, patches, early access, and even microtransactions, as studios have to adhere to financial plans and adjust to the expectations of their investors. Sheffield says: Developers would burn through their livelihood to manage this.
Sheffield explains that Baldur’s Gate 3 started an early access release 3 years ago, and the developers sold an “unfinished game” at full price for 3 years:
Baldur’s Gate 3, which he [the IGN video] says appeared in a polished state, was actually released in early access, which he notes but does not question at all. The game was in early access for 3 years, received polish and bug fixes. Three years! Now, as someone who spends most of the time in the video complaining that people sell unfinished products: Why doesn’t that bother him? They sold a game for 3 years for $60, while it was unpolished and unfinished. Anyone could buy it.
The company was able to sell the final, non-early-access game in a polished state because they sold the game for 3 years at full price, and that in an unfinished state. Therefore, the whole premise of the video that Baldur’s Gate 3 appeared perfectly polished is not even correct.
Sheffield also explains that other “showcase games” have only been able to appear so perfectly polished due to unique situations:
- Behind Tears of The Kingdom stands Nintendo, which has so many billions of US dollars in reserve that it can take as much time as it wants to finish a game
- Elden Ring has a blank check due to the previous successes of FromSoftware for an “It’s done when it’s done” attitude. Most studios do not have such blank checks; that comes only after several massive successes.
Sheffield’s argument aligns with the explanation of MMO developer Stephan Frost, who explained years after the failure of WildStar why the online role-playing game was released unfinished in 2014.
Frost also explained that the economic pressures increase the longer a game stays in development and does not earn money. Therefore, every game in the world practically releases “too early,” but the developers have no other choice.
Apparently, Larian was able to mitigate these pressures by breaking a taboo and selling the game unfinished at full price:
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