Baldur's Gate Designer Calls Baldur's Gate 3 the Best Sequel in the Series
Aleksandr Manin
Mark Darrah, who worked on the original Baldur's Gate, said on the FRVR podcast that Baldur's Gate 3 was the right kind of sequel for the series. He argued that Larian Studios made the smart choice by updating the formula instead of trying to recreate the classics beat for beat.
Darrah pointed out that 22 years passed between Baldur's Gate 2 and Baldur's Gate 3. In his view, the industry changed so much over that span that a more conservative sequel might not have appealed to a new audience.
He also used Pillars of Eternity as an example of a game that feels like an Infinity Engine title without actually being one. That comparison led him to the idea that he no longer needs a sequel to reproduce old formulas too literally.
According to Darrah, Baldur's Gate 3 carries traces of Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate 2, and Divine Divinity. He also said that adding Neverwinter Nights and Dragon Age: Origins to the line of CRPG evolution makes the jump to Larian's game feel natural.
I think it's a great sequel. I think they did what is the right thing to do given that large of a gap.
Larian is now busy with its own projects and does not plan to return to Baldur's Gate. If a Baldur's Gate 4 ever happens, it would be handled by another studio.
Does a great sequel need to break from the original to feel worthy of the name?
