Hasbro’shead of game studios Dan Ayoub says thatBaldur’s Gate 3has proven that there’s an appetite for moreDungeons & Dragonsgames, and that the company, which ownsWizards of the Coastand by extension D&D, is pushing for just that.
“We’re all super excited by the reaction to [Baldur’s Gate 3],” Ayoub toldGamesRadarat GDC. “I think it proved for us that people really want great D&D games. We’re certainly doing that.”
[Baldur’s Gate 3] proved for us that people really want great D&D games.
We know that Hasbro has “about 40” games in the works right now, and that it evenwants to continue working with Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios directly, but Larian boss Swen Vincke revealed in December that there’s"almost nobody left" from the D&D teamwho helped greenlight Baldur’s Gate 3 to begin with.
That’s becauseHasbro laid off over 1,000 workers last year, equivalent to nearly 20 percent of its staff. “I’m really sorry to hear so many of you were let go,” Vincke tweeted. “It’s a sad thing to realise that of the people who were in the original meeting room, there’s almost nobody left.”
Despite this, Ayoub says that Hasbro sees the potential of expanding its video game portfolio and that Baldur’s Gate 3 proved three things; one, that “there’s going to be an audience” for high-quality D&D games; two, that video games will help people get into the world of tabletop; and three, that there’s an “importance of taking time to get it right.” That means longer development cycles, rather than rushing games out of the door.
Internally, Hasbro has a Dungeons & Dragons game in the works at its Montreal studio, though it hasn’t divulged any details yet. Fans have been calling for everything froma new Neverwinter Nightsto a Waterdeep game, taking us to Gale’s home city. Maybe those wishes will come true soon enough.
Baldur’s Gate 3
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Baldur’s Gate 3 is the long-awaited next chapter in the Dungeons & Dragons-based series of RPGs. Developed by Divinity creator Larian Studios, it puts you in the middle of a mind flayer invasion of Faerûn, over a century after the events of its predecessor.
