The Game Awards 2023 nominations were announced yesterday, and as expected, Baldur’s Gate 3, alongside Alan Wake 2, led the race with a whopping eight nominations each. But Larian’s recent (and potentially upcoming) award sweeps are supposedly encouraging the team to push boundaries in their next game further.
That’s according to Larian Studios’ CEO Swen Vincke, who responded to the RPG’s eight nods in a social media post. “This is a real honor,” writes Vincke, “especially in a year with so many releases. Seeing our little ‘niche RPG’ make such waves is very motivating.” Vincke then cheekily teases the studio’s “next big game” and reveals that the award season enthusiasm “is really encouraging us to ensure it pushes many boundaries.”
Baldur’s Gate 3 also recently dominated the Golden Joysticks Awards 2023, winning in seven different categories, including Best Supporting Performance for everyone’s favorite vampire husband Astarion, and the night’s biggest trophy: The Ultimate Game Of The Year Award.
Larian is already busy enough enjoying all the nods and wins this week, but the studio had time to tease some upcoming announcements too. Just yesterday, the studio said a “busy week” was on the horizon, with a potential Xbox release date and a physical edition of the game incoming.
When it comes to Larian’s “next big game,” there’s sadly no indication of what it might be. The studio has been known for its acclaimed CRPGs - despite some contention around the genre label - specifically with the two great Divinity: Original Sin games that preceded the breakout D&D hit. So it’s not unlikely that the team rolls the dice again and continues their choice-based streak. However, the team has also consistently teased the possibility of an expansion, which will probably come before any brand-new titles.
Baldur’s Gate 3 players are still finding new ways to stretch the game, though, as speedrunners are competing to court the bear in record time.
