‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ became the surprise hit of 2023 by upending conventional wisdom about what gives video games broad appeal

Thu, 4 Jan 2024 12:35:51 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/baldurs-gate-3-became-the-surprise-hit-of-2023-by-upending-conventional-wisdom-about-what-gives-video-games-broad-appeal-217074>

"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."

Share and enjoy,
               *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

Comment via email

Home E-Mail Sponsors Index Search About Us