Has Baldur’s Gate 3 truly changed the gaming industry? At least a little, because developers have found new courage.
When Baldur’s Gate 3 was released a few years ago, it was immediately clear that it was not just the game of the year but likely one of the best games of all time. Baldur’s Gate 3 was so different from the prevailing genres at that time. It was not a battle royale, no hack & slash, and not focused on short, quick action. It is a vast, extremely complex role-playing game that represents all facets of good and evil and has deep RPG systems that are often missing in many modern games.
The hope of the player community and many developers was that Baldur’s Gate 3 would show the world (and especially the funders): Look, such complex RPG elements can be successful.
Now we know: It partly worked.
What was said? In an interview with Gamesradar, Game Director Brandon Adler of Outer Worlds 2 discussed how Baldur’s Gate 3 had an influence on the current gaming landscape. Until then, RPG elements had been somewhat in decline. While there have always been skill systems like talent trees or similar, really deep RPG elements, like those known from CRPGs, had become rather rare. Adler said:
In our first game, one of our slogans was “An RPG with RPG elements,” because for a very long time, when we presented the original Outer Worlds to publishers, one would have thought it would be a no-brainer, right? Obsidian makes a new RPG – I mean, come on! You just know that people would be interested.
And while they were making all these games with “RPG elements” and much more role-playing, there was still this anxiety. Now, with released things like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Outer Worlds, I believe people are more open to that again. It feels as if we had to prove ourselves anew in a certain way.
I love seeing that. But again: Baldur’s Gate 3? Seeing the success gives us confidence that people really, really want such games and that we are on the right track. It’s good to bring these things back to the forefront.
What does this mean for the future of games? Although it will likely take the next few years to truly show how much impact Baldur’s Gate 3 had on the gaming industry, it is nice to hear that at least some developers are already affected by the positive effects, even if it’s just additional motivation that they can bring to their work.
Not only publishers but also players are more open to it
It should not be forgotten that Baldur’s Gate 3 has not only prompted a rethink among some publishers but also directly involves the players. There are numerous comments and reports on Reddit, social media, or the reviews of Baldur’s Gate 3 on Steam that the RPG has managed to excite them for a genre that they had previously avoided.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has therefore not only convinced role-playing veterans but has also opened up a whole new player base and turned them into RPG fans. There are recurring reports of players stating that they have played the mega RPG with their colleagues – even if that can sometimes lead to too much frustration.
