The role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3 is now a resounding success, even sparking discussion that it could set the standard for new role-playing games so high that studios would break. But why is the game so perfectly polished at release?
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Baldur’s Gate 3 sets new standards because the team uses unique advantages
Why is Baldur’s Gate 3 so good? Indie developer Xalavier Nelson Jr. explains on Twitter that Baldur’s Gate 3 has enjoyed a few advantages during development that put it in a special situation (via Twitter):
Baldur’s Gate 3 is not a new standard for role-playing games – it is an anomaly. Attempting to emulate this “mega-game” could bankrupt a number of studios, especially if they don’t enjoy the same perks as Larian did in Baldur’s Gate 3.
The IGN video makes this point: The main question raised in the 9-minute video from IGN is why every new game doesn’t launch as polished and well-done as Baldur’s Gate 3.
The IGN journalist demands that the studios should not resist the fact that Baldur’s Gate 3 sets a new standard, but accept it and raise their own standard.
As an example of the currently low studio standards, Destiny 2 and Diablo 4 are cited, which are accused of selling too much loot that you should actually find in the game via the cash shop.
Studios need to sell their game to complete their game
What does the blog post say? Sheffield’s blog post makes it clear why games with bugs are released: The developers are under money and time pressure due to external circumstances and have to release the game in order to pay for the completion of the game. In most cases they have no control over their budget.
Completion of the game will be achieved through DLC, patches, early access and even microtransactions as studios need to stick to budgets and adjust to their investors’ expectations. Sheffield says developers would burn with their life force to pull this off.
Sheffield explains that Baldur’s Gate 3 launched into an Early Access release 3 years ago and the developers have been selling an “unfinished game” at full price for 3 years:
Baldur’s Gate 3, from which he [das IGN-Video] says it came out in a polished state, was actually released in Early Access, which he notes but doesn’t question one bit. The game was in early access for 3 years, got polish and bug fixes. three years! Now, as someone who bitches most of the video about people selling unfinished products, why doesn’t that annoy him? They sold a game for 3 years for $60 and it was unpolished and unfinished. Anyone could buy it.
The company was able to sell the finished, non-Early Access game in a polished state because they sold the game at full price for 3 years and that was in an unfinished state. So the whole premise of the video that Baldur’s Gate 3 appeared perfectly polished isn’t even true.
Sheffield also explains that other “flagship games” have only been able to appear so perfectly polished because of unique situations:
Sheffield’s argument coincides with the explanation of the MMO developer Stephan Frost, who years after the failure of WildStar explained why the online role-playing game was unfinished in 2014.
Frost also explained that the longer a game is in development and not making money, the greater the economic constraints. Therefore, practically every game in the world would appear “too soon”, but the developers would have no other choice.
Apparently, by breaking a taboo and selling the game unfinished at full price, Larian was able to alleviate these constraints:
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