Despite the immense success that Baldur’s Gate 3 brought in Larian Studios, the Belgian developer chose not to make a sequel for various reasons and decided it would be better to focus on new projects. With BG3 making Larian a mainstream success and elevating the studio to a Game of the Year winner leaves a big void to fill for Wizards of the Coast in its video game sector. Baldur’s Gate 4 It may be handed over to another studio, but comparisons to Larian will always be made, and it’s a tough act to follow.
It’s safe to say that Dungeons and dragons has grown in popularity astronomically in recent years and it is probably the largest that ever existed. Successes like Critical Role and Baldur’s Gate 3 helped elevate it, along with exposure on shows like Stranger Thingsand Wizards of the Coast was wise enough to try to capitalize on the success by releasing a new edition. You could also do what you did previously with BG3 to keep surfing the wave and bring back Never Winter Nights for a third installment.
Neverwinter Nights deserves a sequel
Neverwinter 1 is still being played to this day
Never Winter Nights is another, legendary D&D series of games and should not be confused with the 1991 online game of the same name. The first title was released in 2002, a few years later BG2and how the titles in Baldur’s Gate series, the game is a CRPG using a D&D set of rules. The second title in the series was released in 2006, but the series has been dormant since then, despite the games being popular, again like the Baldur’s Gate series, until Larian brought the franchise back with a bang in 2023.
Although Never Winter Nights shares many similarities with the Baldur’s Gate series, the biggest change is the locations visited and what the games aim to be. Both are named after cities in the Forgotten Realms and tend to take place around those cities, with Never Winter Nights also being more of a toolkit for people to create modules using D&D 3e. Toolkit functionality is why Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition is still played to this day and is probably the second largest D&D series of games ago Baldur’s Gate.
The change in toolkit configuration and functionality could provide the perfect foundation for a new D&D game to fill the hole that a potential Larian-led Baldur’s Gate sequel left behind. It won’t be Baldur’s Gateand this will help whoever develops this game from being harshly compared to Larian’s work. There is a chance that Baldur’s Gate 4 it could be some kind of poisoned chalice because of the size BG3 became, so give people another D&D CRPG without being BG4 could be the wisest move for Wizards of the Coast.
Obsidian is the perfect D&D developer
They have created CRPGs since their founding
Many fans cited Obsidian as a worthy developer to take the reins of Larian like the next one Baldur’s Gate developer, as the studio is known for great RPGs and has been making CRPGs since its founding. It would be an even better choice for Wizards of the Coast if DeclaredObsidian’s next big RPG delivers on its promises, but the studio has already worked on it D&D before with Never Winter Nights. It worked alongside Bioware to make both games, and letting Obsidian continue its work with a sequel feels natural.
With Bioware not having the reputation it once had, especially from a writing standpoint, Obsidian must take command if a Never Winter Nights 3 has already been done. It’s been a long time Never Never Winter 2but Obsidian developed this game, and if it continues to show that it can create great titles with Declared, Never Never Winter 3 it would be an almost guaranteed success. It would also avoid some of the comparisons with Baldur’s Gate 3 thanks to it being a different series while also scratching the same itch.
Obsidian has demonstrated competence with CRPGs through Pillars of Eternity seriesbut this world will be used to Declared, so the studio doesn’t have a CRPG series in the works at the moment. Never Winter Nights this could be it for them, working perfectly for both Obsidian and Wizards of the Coasts. To make it even more different BG3the new game could even be a real-time title, rather than turn-based, or even both, like Pillars of Eternity 2giving the new Never Winter Nights a retro feel with modern graphical fidelity.
Neverwinter Nights 3 could be better than Baldur’s Gate 4
There are some advantages it would have over BG4
The problem with Baldur’s Gate is that modern fans will associate it with Larian and the way the studio makes its games. Baldur’s Gate 3 is still so big, and Larian DNA is presentfrom the whimsical and heartfelt writing to the sometimes outrageous humor. A new studio would have to take control, and it would be a very difficult task to accomplish Baldur’s Gate 3. Anything less BG3the quality of would illicit immediate comparisons and would probably receive a lot more hate than it deserves. BG4 will probably suffer BG3is success.
Although Baldur’s Gate 3 is the biggest D&D game out there, thanks to Larian’s work, the studio will not be making a sequel, making the next title a potentially impossible task for another studio.
Never Winter Nights it hasn’t been played in nearly two decades, and a modern audience wouldn’t care much about comparing a new game to its predecessors. There will always be comparisons of BG3 with any CRPG you use D&Dsystemsbut Never Never Winter 3 will be able to use D&D 2024, a new system that would help separate this potential sequence of BG3. If Never Never Winter 3 follows the example of the first game and works as a toolkit for D&D 2024, could be a perfect way to get a large audience to play the new system.
Although Baldur’s Gate 3 is the biggest D&D game out there, thanks to Larian’s work, the Belgian studio will not be making a sequel, making the next title a potentially impossible task for another studio. Never Winter Nightson the other hand, does not have this problem and is currently in a similar position to Baldur’s Gate series before a sequel was announced. With a new D&D system, the right studio and the budget BG3 was given, Never Never Winter 3 could emulate the success of Larian’s golden goose.