No game wants to go down the hill and developers do try their best to keep it a joyful experience for the gamers. Baldur’s Gate 3 is among those games and it certainly has one of the longest early access periods in history. Though it was scheduled for September 2020, a bit of delay finally saw the early access release in the following month.
Launched to universal acclaim, the popular role-playing video game is set in a fantasy world setting called Forgotten Realms. The game bagged several Game of the Year awards, which certainly speaks of the work that went in there during the development.
Early Access Was Probably The Best Decision Taken For The Game
Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 brought in elements from its previous games, like Divinity, making it a turn-based combat game unlike its predecessors. The intertwined narratives and freedom make it a beloved game that players can spend hours playing. Early access certainly has an important role to play in reaching 15 million in sales.
The early access was discussed during the BAFTAs Evening with Baldur’s Gate 3. Larian co-founder Swen Vincke explained why it mattered so much.
I don’t think [early access] is the future of, because you never know what the future will bring. For us, it’s been really good—I heartily recommend it, but you really have to mean it when you go in there.
It wasn’t just the gameplay, but early access to Baldur’s Gate 3 earned them the Best Music Award. A lot of things went in there during the development and it certainly wasn’t an easy feat. They had to give some extra bit of attention certain things.
Microsoft and Larian Didn’t Expect Baldur’s Gate 3 to Perform That Well
Players were provided with the first act, which was approximately 25 hours long, which, as it goes without saying, is longer than many full versions of different video games. Several features, like multiplayer and new classes, were included during this time.
Upon its release, it became the best seller on Steam and GOG, reaching 875K players within a couple of weeks. 2.5 million copies were sold during its early access phase only. Both studios hadn’t expected it to perform that well.
The decision for the long early access paid off, as players of the game today feel a deep sense of immersion while playing. It is perhaps one of the greatest attempts to bring Dungeons and Dragons into the video game realm.
While there may not be any expansions for the game, Larian has said in the past that they would bring some alternate endings and cinematics. Given the length of the game, there may not really be a need for a DLC.
How has your experience with Baldur’s Gate 3 been? We would like to know about it in the comments section below.