After Laria’s shock decision to skip Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons & Dragons, some fans pointed the finger at Wizards of the Coast – but according to Swen Vincke, the Hasbro-owned company isn’t to blame.
Last week, Larian confirmed that he has no plans to release DLC or expansions for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3, and indeed confirmed that he has no plans to make another video game set in the D&D universe, excluding Baldur’s Gate. From 4 studios. Instead, it’s making a whole new game.
Following the news, some fans expressed concern that Wizards of the Coast, which owns and operates Dungeons & Dragons, may be pushing Laria away from the fantasy universe. Wizards of the Coast is owned by toy maker Hasbro, who told IGN about Larian’s decision:
“Larian has been an incredible partner, and together we’re proud of the success of Baldur’s Gate 3. Watch this space for more information on some of the awesome D&D games we’re bringing to life through our network of Hasbro studios and licensing partners. Our unrivaled library of toy and game brands and many fantastic partners around the world.
Hasbro could not answer IGN’s question about the future of Baldur’s Gate, now that Larian is moving on, and did not say whether Wizards of the Coast plans to transfer the license to a new developer. Baldur’s Gate 3 brought in about $90 million for Hasbro, an impressive amount even as the company struggles overall, with revenue down 15% and operating at a $1.5 billion loss in 2023.
In December, Hasbro announced a wave of layoffs affecting more than 1,000 workers ahead of the strike. Following the news, Vincke expressed his condolences to the large Wizards of the Coast staff affected by the layoffs, noting the fact that nearly everyone at the company who was part of the initial discussions for Baldur’s Gate 3 had left.
“I also want to thank you [Wizards of the Coast] and especially because the Dungeons & Dragons team gave us carte blanche,” Vinke said at the time. “I’m so sorry to hear about so many of you being let go. It is a sad thing to realize that almost none of the people who were in the original meeting room are left. I hope you all have a good ending.”
Now, given the growing resentment against Wizards of the Coast following Laria’s announcement, Vincke issued a follow-up statementdefends the company.
“Reading the Reddit threads, I’d like to clarify one thing,” Vinke said. “WOTC is not to blame for us taking a different direction. On the contrary, they really went out of their way and were great licensors for us, letting us do our thing. It’s because it’s what’s best for Larian.”
In an interview with IGN at GDC 2024, Vincke revealed that Larian had started work on the Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC and was even thinking about a potential Baldur’s Gate 4 before moving on to other projects as the team was “going through the motions.” “You could see the team doing it because everybody felt like we had to do it, but it wasn’t really from the heart, and we’re a very heart-to-heart studio,” Vinke said. “That’s what made us miserable and what made us successful.”
As Larian moves on to new things, Hasbro is now considering what to do with the Baldur’s Gate series and the incredible characters Larian created for Baldur’s Gate 3. Does Baldur’s Gate leave behind 3 like Larian? One tweet, Vincke passed the torch: “As for BG3 and its characters – they now belong to WOTC and I think they understand how important it is to the community. I believe they will be treated with respect.”
What we do know is that there are a number of Dungeons & Dragons video games in development that aren’t Baldur’s Gate 4. It’s described as “a unique and innovative experience combining survival, action RPG, and life simulation that will test players’ skills in an unforgiving campaign set in the D&D universe.” And Payday works on developer Starbreeze Dungeons & Dragons cooperative multiplayer game codenamed Project BaxterAlthough it won’t end until 2026.
Wesley is the UK news editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can contact Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or privately at wyp100@proton.me.