‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ became the surprise hit of 2023 by upending conventional wisdom about what gives video games broad appeal
theconversation.com
For years, the biggest video game publishers have operated under the assumption that compelling stories and captivating characters don’t offer a good return on investment.

Few predicted that the smash hit video game of 2023 would feature old-school game mechanics, hours of brooding cutscenes and a vexing learning curve.

Yet “Baldur’s Gate 3,” a 20-year-old title based on a 50-year-old role-playing game, has already become one of the highest-rated video games of all time.

“This is a very specific niche of game,” admitted Swen Vincke, the CEO of Larian, its developer. “We’ve never been about the money.”

Nonetheless, since Larian released the title in August 2023, the company has been raking in the money. And it has done this with a rare focus on elements like story and character, upending the industry’s conventional wisdom about what it takes to create a blockbuster game.

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  • xkforce@lemmy.world
    47·
    7 months ago

    Literally anyone that actually likes video games could have predicted BG3’s success. It just requires actual work be put into games and the gaming industry is deathly allergic to doing that. Making FIFA 27361 and Madden 3189 is cheaper, safer and easier money than doing what BG3 did so thats what the industry tends to do.