“I’ll fail”: Creator of the second game asked to make Baldur’s Gate 4, but declined to compete with Larian

Developing another Baldur’s Gate will be difficult after the success of Larian Studios.

The team at Larian Studios has shifted focus to a new Divinity project following the release of Baldur’s Gate 3. However, Hasbro—the company that owns the rights to the franchise—wants to produce the next installment.

James Ohlen, who led the development of Baldur’s Gate 2, recently stated in an interview that the CEO of Hasbro personally contacted him to discuss developing Baldur’s Gate 4.

Ohlen noted that Larian Studios was the ideal choice for Baldur’s Gate 3 because the team possessed the necessary staff and technical tools.

Because Baldur’s Gate 3 runs on a proprietary engine built by Larian, Ohlen would have to start from scratch. He estimated that recreating such a game would require at least five years of grueling work. Even if Hasbro licensed the Larian engine, the development team would face a steep learning curve to master the existing technology.