Those responsible at Larian Studios do not want to make a sequel or expansion for Baldur’s Gate 3. For Obsidian Entertainment’s Josh Sawyer, there seems to be a clear reason for the split, which has so far been left under the table.
Who is Josh Sawyer? The American developer has been in the industry for several decades and works at Obsidian Entertainment. His CV includes various RPG classics such as Icewind Dale 1 and 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Pentiment and the two parts of Pillars of Eternity.
What does the obsidian veteran say? On
His comment on this report: “Yes, I would no longer work with Hasbro either. Great praise.”
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What’s the problem with Hasbro? The US toy manufacturer has owned the trading card and role-playing game manufacturer Wizards of the Coast since 1999 – and with it brands such as Magic and Dungeons & Dragons.
To use the D&D license for Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian had to pay fees to Hasbro. According to the financial report from February 2024 and the associated investor call, that was a healthy $90 million. $90 million that Larian could have kept by using its own brand.
Of course, Larian consciously entered into the corresponding license agreement with Hasbro. Swen Vincke and Co. could have assessed the layoffs from December 2023 more critically. Despite reports of record quarters in October, numerous members of the D&D and Magic teams had to take their hats off.
Larian boss Swen Vincke later explained that none of the original team of D&D experts present at the initial meetings would now work at Wizards of the Coast. The likeable Belgian has already made it clear several times what he thinks of such actions – for example here:
Baldur’s Gate 3 is considered a bright spot in modern gaming – the boss now condemns what is happening in other studios