GamesRPGBaldur’s GateBaldur’s Gate 3Baldur’s Gate 3 has changed so much in 2024 that I wish the RPG could be my GOTY again this yearWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGBaldur’s GateBaldur’s Gate 3Baldur’s Gate 3 has changed so much in 2024 that I wish the RPG could be my GOTY again this yearWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Larian Studios, Future PLC)
Baldur’s Gate 3is my game of the decade. I doubt I’m alone in making such sweeping assertions about Larian’s mammoth RPG – it stole the show at every gaming awards ceremony last year, and continues to pull focus in 2024 with its20% daily playercount increasestill going strong. But all of that begs the question: why are so many of us, in greater numbers than ever, still exploring the Sword Coast?
Power to the people
(Image credit: Larian Studios)
And the winner is…(Image credit: Capcom)GamesRadar+’s best video games of 2024
And the winner is…
(Image credit: Capcom)GamesRadar+’s best video games of 2024
(Image credit: Capcom)
GamesRadar+’s best video games of 2024
A few months ago at a BAFTA Masterclass talk, I watched Larian Studios' Swen Vincke answer a near impossible question: “how do you know when a game is finished?” His response was simple; you’re neverreallyfinished, but there comes a time when the developer must relinquish control so that players can implement “their own ecosystems”. Eventually, the game must be handed back to us, the players, to take the next steps. I’m paraphrasing a little, but that sentiment has been knocking about in my skull for weeks now as I ponder how utterly sincere Vincke was in saying so.
Larain was already a successful independent developer before Baldur’s Gate 3’s blew our collective socks off when it launched out of Early Access in 2023. However, just how far it’s been able to drive that success is a phenomenon unto itself. True, the studio has the prestige backing that comes with the license of a Dungeons & Dragons game, courtesy of publisher Wizards Of The Coast, but Larian continues to impress me with its sheer passion for putting more and more content into players' hands. We already know that the studio is looking ahead to projects beyond the D&D RPG – and sadly, if there ever is a BG4,it won’t be a Larian game. But that said, there was so much more Larian wanted to add to the game before passing the baton.
(Image credit: Larian)
That passage is something the developer is still very much geared towards. 2024 has seen two major content patches released, with numerous hotfixes in between for both console and PC platforms. From kiss animations to evil endings and the implementation of a mod manager, all of these could be considered mere finishing touches. It’s icing on a cake with so many layers, the whole thing risks toppling over whenever you dig in for another slice. But they’re a lot more than that. All of these updates – and the franklyhugesounding barrage of new subclasses still to come in Patch 8 next year – speak to Larian’s commitment to excellence.
Reflecting on the impact of all of these patches on the game’s ongoing popularity, Larian recognizes the importance of one change in particular: the modding client. It’s proof of Larian’s desire to put a greater focus on player agency as it looks ahead to its next big project. Larian’s goal is clear: it wants BG3 to be the best possible game it can be, and is charging players precisely zero dollars for the privilege of not only enjoying it, but being a part of that process.
I can’t help but feel a little bit emotional writing this. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game that means so much to so many people. Here at GR+, me and my colleagues have investednearly 4,000 hours into itbetween us. Those hours are bound to rack up even further come 2025, and you know what? For that fact alone, BG3 deserves to be my Game of the Year until somehow, someday, someone else can match it.
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