D&D makers also want a Baldur’s Gate 4, but say they won't rush to a sequel (it shouldn't take 25 years, mind)

With Larian having now officially handed the reins of the Baldur’s Gate series back to Dungeons & Dragons owners Wizards of the Coast (and their Monopoly-making parents at Hasbro) - with the developers saying they have no plans to make any DLC or a sequel - the ball for a Baldur’s Gate 4 now sits in Wizards’ court. The good news is that, yes, they also want to make a follow-up to one of the most acclaimed and successful video games of the last few years. Just don’t expect that to necessarily be anytime soon.

Still, Wizards and Hasbro aren’t sitting on their hands either, according to the companies’ senior VP for digital strategy and licensing Eugene Evans. Evans told PC Gamer that discussions about what comes next for Baldur’s Gate were already underway, as they speak with developers who might be willing to face the unenviable task of filling Larian’s shoes.

“We're now talking to lots of partners and being approached by a lot of partners who are embracing the challenge of: what does the future of the Baldur's Gate franchise look like?” Evans said.

While Evans was optimistic that it shouldn’t take another quarter-century for a Baldur’s Gate 4 (or whatever comes next) to arrive - given the wait between the last two games in the series - he also made clear that the D&D stewards weren’t going to rush out something that couldn’t live up to the steep expectations.

“We certainly hope that it's not another 25 years, as it was from Baldur's Gate 2 to 3, before we answer that,” Evans continued. “But we're going to take our time and find the right partner, the right approach, and the right product that could represent the future of Baldur's Gate. We take that very, very seriously, as we do with all of our decisions around our portfolio. We don't rush into decisions as to who to partner with on products or what products we should be considering.

“The bar has been set very high, and it's our job to reach and surpass that bar.”

Evans also weighed in on the potential of Baldur's Gate 3’s beloved party of characters reappearing in a prospective sequel, calling the likes of Astarion, Shadowheart and Karlach “essentially part of D&D canon” and expressing hope - without confirming anything for sure - that they could show up in future games.

With Baldur’s Gate 3 itself spending years in early access before Larian felt it was ready for a full release, it definitely seems that good things come to those who wait where Baldur’s Gate is concerned - and if we see a new game before Dungeons & Dragons celebrates its 75th anniversary, all the better.