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Baldur's Gate 4: who should develop it?
- Thread starter Stef
- Start date
Just give Obsidian the engine/tools from BG3 and let them play in the sandbox. Doesnt even need major graphical improvements. Do a Fallout 3 -> New Vegas sort of deal with it.
Anyone thinking Obsidian needs to remember Outer Worlds and how terrible that was. They ain't the New Vegas devs anymore folks.
The only company I think that could pull it off is CDPR.
It's not that other companies aren't as talented, it's either a) they can't invest in a AAA size budget like Larian did, or b)aren't financially independent. I don't trust any company under the major publishers to give the kind of developer freedom needed to make a game at the scale of BG3.
It's not that other companies aren't as talented, it's either a) they can't invest in a AAA size budget like Larian did, or b)aren't financially independent. I don't trust any company under the major publishers to give the kind of developer freedom needed to make a game at the scale of BG3.
treyarch. the meltdowns would be so funny bweh heh heh he heh huei tee hee ho ho
Obsidian if they didn't have to do the engine/tech maybe. Though even then dunno. Are the people saying Bioware serious? That's sillier than Bethesda imo
E: Seeing the Firaxis mentions, that is an interesting possibility
E: I'm not sure Obsidian multiplat is out of the question. Like, at all for a project of this scope
Obsidian if they didn't have to do the engine/tech maybe. Though even then dunno. Are the people saying Bioware serious? That's sillier than Bethesda imo
E: Seeing the Firaxis mentions, that is an interesting possibility
E: I'm not sure Obsidian multiplat is out of the question. Like, at all for a project of this scope
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I will at you but I will say that you are absolutely correct.
Feel like established and financially healthy studios would avoid it and would rather work on their own IPs or a not WoTC IP. So either a new studio made for Baldur's Gate 4 or a financially distressed studio or a small studio that wants to try to make a jump to mega budget productions like Aspyr tried with the KOTOR remake
Idk the main game was decent and the DLC rocked. Plus with Pentiment they still have the talent but they won't get the job
Whoever picks this shit up is gonna have a hell of a time. Baldur's Gate 3 is a clear evolution of Larians own engine and style. The UI elements all feel like Divinity to the point if it was called Original Sin 3 no one would bat an eye.
The only way I can see a sequel being successful is if whoever gets it works out a deal with Larian to use the engine and get support in some way. In a sense this would be kinda hilarious reversal of WotC getting a fee/royalties from BG3 to Larian getting it for BG4.
I'm not sure any of the big sorta CRPG devs out there would fit the bill. Owlcat, Obsidian, Bioware, Harebrained, Inexile etc they have their strengths and weaknesses. None of them really have the expertise in voice acting like BG3 clearly showed, Owlcat works well with their systems but they are primarily isometric rpgs which BG4 will never be, Bioware psedu action rpg style and love of spectacle sucks and probably not a great fit, Obsidian I don't think has the scripting chops for it anymore etc. If Biowares output was more like the Dragon Age Origins days I would absolutely say them, as BG3 felt very similar in a lot of ways.
Personally...I think I would want someone who I had faith in writing good characters, can write with wit and script faithful to the source material and just have them license the engine from Larian and build a scenario around that. My mind kinda goes to Edios-Montreal after their work on Guardians of the Galaxy, which was also done with massive respect for the source material and performances were fantastic. I wonder how they could do if they were just given Larians tools and asked to make the game.
The only way I can see a sequel being successful is if whoever gets it works out a deal with Larian to use the engine and get support in some way. In a sense this would be kinda hilarious reversal of WotC getting a fee/royalties from BG3 to Larian getting it for BG4.
I'm not sure any of the big sorta CRPG devs out there would fit the bill. Owlcat, Obsidian, Bioware, Harebrained, Inexile etc they have their strengths and weaknesses. None of them really have the expertise in voice acting like BG3 clearly showed, Owlcat works well with their systems but they are primarily isometric rpgs which BG4 will never be, Bioware psedu action rpg style and love of spectacle sucks and probably not a great fit, Obsidian I don't think has the scripting chops for it anymore etc. If Biowares output was more like the Dragon Age Origins days I would absolutely say them, as BG3 felt very similar in a lot of ways.
Personally...I think I would want someone who I had faith in writing good characters, can write with wit and script faithful to the source material and just have them license the engine from Larian and build a scenario around that. My mind kinda goes to Edios-Montreal after their work on Guardians of the Galaxy, which was also done with massive respect for the source material and performances were fantastic. I wonder how they could do if they were just given Larians tools and asked to make the game.
Okay, then no one.
Obsidian's talent pool are the only other studio I would trust something like this with. Larian was literally the dream studio to revive BG after what they had done with Divinity, and then they announced they were doing BG3.
If WOTC want to contractually stipulate with Microsoft that this needs to come to all platforms, they can ask for it.
I can't imagine a CDPR game with good combat design sadly, so it would be a massive downgrade not from 3 but even from 2, as others said Obsidian seems a good match but they will need a big budget and a lot of time, which they seem to never have.
Remedy. Let's be the real if you want people to show up for a BG4 not made by Larian you need to focus on the characters and have strong storytelling with a high quality cinematic presentation. Focus on making it the best looking Astarion/Shadowheart/etc. dating sim and you'll find a sizeable audience
Ah that's true. I guess for me I didn't care much for BG3s combat but I know that was one of the games greatest strengths.
And yea no way in hell Microsoft gives Obsidian the financial investment necessary, look at all the compromises they need to do for Avowed.
Man that totally would have been the right call. Shame those games didn't sell more.
Especially since the games share voice actors.
Owlcat because they make the CRPGs i enjoy i didn't care for BG3 (or the divinity games) and i know i am in the minority of the minority with that opinion but give Owlcat a budget and let them go hog wild with that IP.
What they did with Pathfinder and Warhammer has been nothing short of phenomenal and i can't imagine them fumbling with BG.
What they did with Pathfinder and Warhammer has been nothing short of phenomenal and i can't imagine them fumbling with BG.
Real talk, since most people are either joke posting or ignoring the thing about Larian and Obsidian not being options, if you can't get Larian, the makers of the best D&D game in years, you should go for Tactical Adventures, the makers of the second beast D&D game in years.
Their work on Solasta is a very good foundation for a larger scale D&D adventure and they've already directly worked with the 5E ruleset that is used in BG3. Likewise, their way of handling Solasta's combat is much closer to what BG3 does than what Owlcat's games have done, making TA a closer fit to what people are looking at in these games. While the scope of BG3 is much bigger than Solasta, a properly funded and supported Tactical Adventures could make a good followup to BG3 if not as their next game, but maybe given a crack at stuff like Icewind Dale before they work their way up to BG4.
Their work on Solasta is a very good foundation for a larger scale D&D adventure and they've already directly worked with the 5E ruleset that is used in BG3. Likewise, their way of handling Solasta's combat is much closer to what BG3 does than what Owlcat's games have done, making TA a closer fit to what people are looking at in these games. While the scope of BG3 is much bigger than Solasta, a properly funded and supported Tactical Adventures could make a good followup to BG3 if not as their next game, but maybe given a crack at stuff like Icewind Dale before they work their way up to BG4.
I doubt WotC would allow BG4 to be an exclusive. They would mandate it to be multiplatform.
I thought that studio was closed / rebranded into some NFT bullshit.
I don't think we need a BG4. If someone wants to remake the Dark Sun goldbox games though.