Baldur’s Gate 3 is just in its first week post-release, and already it has blown away expectations, sitting at 800,000 concurrent players on Steam. While it was a popular Early Access title, the full release was only expected to hit 100,000 current players. With the passing of those expectations have come glowing reviews, fandom for the series, and some criticism from other studios. The success of Baldur’s Gate 3 has put other studios on notice that this is what the RPG community is looking for from their games and will be expecting from here on out.
How Did Baldur’s Gate 3 Exceed Expectations?
Baldur’s Gate 3 has delivered the shock of the summer with a massive RPG that redefines what the genre should be and sets the standard for it going forward. Due to its massive success, pre-orders for the PS5 release on September 6th have skyrocketed, as Twitch streams of the Baldur’s Gate 3 have led to increased exposure for other console owners. The Xbox Series X version is also in the works but has yet to have a confirmed release date due to issues that Larian Studios is having with its multiplayer systems.
Baldur’s Gate 3 spent three years in Early Access and, in that time, Larian listened to fan feedback and used it to create one of the most important RPGs of this generation. The mix of player choice, legitimate in-game consequences, and freedom to approach combat situations in almost endless ways has created a gameplay loop that has single-handedly thrust the CRPG genre into rarified air space.
Bioware’s 2002 release Neverwinter Nights was the last title in the genre to claim a Game of the Year award, and it’s fitting considering many have dubbed Larian Studios the successor to Bioware’s previous RPG crown. Baldur’s Gate 3‘s shattering of expectations has led to a 95 on Metacritic, making it one of the highest-rated titles of the year. This essentially guarantees its place among Game of the Year finalists in a year that is packed with them thus far.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on PC and releasing September 6th for PS5.
