The release of Patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3 has sparked a significant surge in player numbers on Steam, setting the stage for developer Larian to shift focus to their next major project. Launched last week, Patch 8 introduced 12 new subclasses and a brand new photo mode, drawing fans back to explore these additions.
Over the weekend, Baldur’s Gate 3 reached a concurrent player peak of 169,267 on Steam, a remarkable achievement for a single-player focused RPG in its second year. While Sony and Microsoft keep PlayStation and Xbox player numbers under wraps, the success on Steam is undeniable.
Reflecting on the impact of Patch 8, Larian's chief, Swen Vincke, tweeted his optimism about the game's future. He credits not only the player boost from Patch 8 but also the thriving mod support for the game's continued success. "With mod support thriving, I think the game will now continue to do well for quite some time," Vincke stated. This success provides Larian with the breathing room to focus on their next big project, which Vincke acknowledges comes with "big shoes to fill."
Vincke expressed satisfaction with Patch 8's reception, noting the substantial development effort behind it. "Feeling good today about where we are with BG3. Patch 8 got a lot of people playing again. It took a lot of development effort but I'm happy we did it," he said.
Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, concluding a period of remarkable achievement for Larian. The game, which launched to critical acclaim and enormous commercial success in 2023, has maintained strong sales through 2024 and into 2025.
Larian has surprised the gaming community by announcing their departure from the Baldur’s Gate series and Dungeons & Dragons to work on a new, undisclosed game. They teased this new project before instituting a media blackout to concentrate on its development.
Meanwhile, D&D owner Hasbro has expressed interest in continuing the Baldur’s Gate series. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, Dan Ayoub, indicated that with Larian moving on, "a lot of people [are] very interested in Baldur's Gate." Hasbro is currently formulating plans for the franchise's future, with Ayoub hinting at forthcoming announcements. While he did not specify whether these plans involve a new Baldur's Gate game or another type of project, he expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4, albeit acknowledging that its development would be a long-term endeavor.
"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," Ayoub remarked. "We're not in a hurry. We're going to take a very measured approach... We're starting to think about, okay, yeah, we're ready to start dipping toes a little bit and talking about a few things. And I think, in really short order, we're going to have some other things to talk about around that."
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