James Ohlen and Kevin Martens express concerns over following Larian's success with Baldur's Gate 3
Category: Arts & Culture
In the aftermath of the monumental success of Baldur's Gate 3, Hasbro expressed a clear interest in developing a sequel, Baldur's Gate 4. Yet, the task proved more challenging than anticipated, as both Larian Studios and former developers from the original games declined the opportunity. As detailed in a recent discussion, the reluctance stems from concerns about the immense pressure to replicate Larian's success.
Following the stratospheric success of Baldur's Gate 3, it was only natural for Hasbro to seek a sequel. The company reached out to Larian Studios, the developers behind the acclaimed title. Surprisingly, Larian, which had already begun work on Baldur's Gate 4, decided to pivot away from the franchise to focus on its own intellectual properties. Swen Vincke, the studio's CEO, revealed that after the launch of Baldur's Gate 3, he felt vulnerable and initially agreed to the sequel. He stated, "You tend to be prone to do the obvious thing, which was really just make an add-on, or a standalone add-on, or start working on a sequel, because it's the easiest route to take."
Yet, he soon realized that continuing with Baldur's Gate 4 would mean years of working in someone else's sandbox, iterating on ideas that had just been completed. Vincke and his team collectively decided to explore new projects that excited them, resulting in the cancellation of Baldur's Gate 4 from Larian's lineup.
With Larian stepping back, Hasbro turned its attention to former Baldur's Gate 2 co-lead designers, James Ohlen and Kevin Martens, who were then working at Archetype Entertainment on another project, Exodus. When Chris Cox, the CEO of Hasbro, reached out to Ohlen about the possibility of developing Baldur's Gate 4, Ohlen expressed his reservations. "I don’t, I would fail, and here’s why I would fail," he told Cox. He believed that competing against Larian's Baldur's Gate 3 would be 'insanity' due to the studio's proprietary engine and deep experience in developing the game.
Ohlen noted that Baldur's Gate 3 was perfectly suited for Larian, as it was built on years of iterative design from their earlier works, particularly Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel. "I wouldn’t want to compete against that. Doing Exodus is hard enough, but having to compete against Baldur's Gate 3? That would be insanity," Ohlen remarked.
Ohlen also highlighted the logistical challenges he would face if he were to take on Baldur's Gate 4. The game was constructed using Larian's proprietary Divinity Engine, which meant that Ohlen's team would have to build their own engine from scratch if they were to proceed. He estimated that creating the necessary tools would involve "at least half a decade of horror, building all that stuff." Even if he could negotiate a licensing deal to use Larian's engine, he felt it would still be a monumental challenge.
"Swen's always going to be the master of building those kinds of things. It's really hard to take him off that throne," Ohlen admitted, acknowledging Larian's expertise and established team. He believes that the best approach for any future developers of Baldur's Gate 4 would be to innovate and create something that diverges from Larian's established formula. "That was me back in Baldur's Gate. I was like, 'Everyone else sucks and we're going to crush it.' It was us against all the other game studios, we're going to outdo them. And because none of us had built games before, we were all like, 'We're going to do everything different.' And sometimes you need that," he said.
As of now, the fate of Baldur's Gate 4 remains uncertain. Ohlen has since left Archetype Entertainment and the game development scene altogether, citing burnout as his reason for stepping away. Meanwhile, sources indicate that a remaster of Baldur's Gate 2 and possibly the original game are in development, which would bring these beloved titles back to modern audiences.
Interestingly, Kevin Martens, the other co-lead designer of Baldur's Gate 2, appears to still be involved in the gaming industry, though his role in any potential future projects remains unclear.
For fans of the franchise, the future of Baldur's Gate is filled with questions. The legacy of the original games and the fresh take provided by Baldur's Gate 3 have set high expectations. As the gaming community watches closely, : the pressure to deliver a worthy sequel will be immense.