Forget Baldur’s Gate 3, There’s Another D&D Game That Needs A Sequel

Despite the immense success that Baldur’s Gate 3 has brought Larian Studios, the Belgium-based developer has chosen not to make a sequel for several reasons and has decided that it would be best to focus on new projects. With BG3 making Larian a mainstream success and elevating the studio into being a Game of the Year winner, it leaves quite a void to fill for Wizards of the Coast in its video gaming sector. Baldur’s Gate 4 can be given to another studio, but comparisons to Larian will always be made, and it is a tough act to follow.

It is safe to say that Dungeons and Dragons has grown in popularity astronomically in recent years and is probably the biggest it has ever been. Successes like Critical Role and Baldur’s Gate 3 have helped to elevate it, along with exposure in shows like Stranger Things, and Wizards of the Coast have been wise enough to try to capitalize on the success by releasing a new edition. It could also do what it did previously with BG3 to continue riding the wave and bring back Neverwinter Nights for a third installment.

Neverwinter Nights Deserves A Sequel

Neverwinter 1 Is Still Being Played To This Day

Neverwinter Nights is another, legendary D&D game series and is not to be confused with the 1991 online game of the same name. The first title was released in 2002, a couple of years after BG2, and like the titles in the Baldur’s Gate series, the game is a CRPG using a D&D ruleset. The second title in the series was released in 2006, but the series has been dormant since then, despite the games being well-liked, again like the Baldur’s Gate series, until Larian brought the franchise back with a bang in 2023.

Although Neverwinter Nights shares many similarities with the Baldur’s Gate series, the biggest change is the locations visited and what the games set out to be. Both are named after cities in the Forgotten Realms and tend to take place around those cities, with Neverwinter Nights also being more of a toolkit for people to make modules using D&D 3e. The toolkit functionality is the reason why Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition is still being played to this day and is probably the second-biggest D&D game series behind Baldur’s Gate.

The change in setting and toolkit 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 has left behind. It won’t be Baldur’s Gate, and that will help whoever develops this game from being compared too harshly to Larian’s work. There is the chance that Baldur’s Gate 4 could be somewhat of a poisoned chalice because of how big BG3 became, so giving people another D&D CRPG without it being BG4 could be the wisest move for Wizards of the Coast.

Obsidian Is The Perfect D&D Developer

They Have Made CRPGs Since Their Founding

Many fans have cited Obsidian as a worthy developer to take the reins from Larian as the next Baldur’s Gate developer, since 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 Avowed, Obsidian’s big, upcoming RPG, comes good on its promises, but the studio has already worked on D&D before with Neverwinter Nights. It worked alongside Bioware to make both games, and letting Obsidian continue its work with a sequel feels natural.

With Bioware not quite having the reputation it once did, especially from a writing perspective, Obsidian should take the helm if a Neverwinter Nights 3 is ever made. It has been a long time since Neverwinter Nights 2, but Obsidian did develop that game, and if it continues to show it can make great titles with Avowed, Neverwinter Nights 3 would be an almost guaranteed success. It would also avoid some of the comparisons with Baldur’s Gate 3 thanks to being a different series, while also scratching the same itch.

Obsidian has shown competency with CRPGs through the Pillars of Eternity series, but that world is going to be used for Avowed, so the studio doesn’t have an ongoing CRPG series at the moment. Neverwinter Nights could be that for them, working out perfectly for both Obsidian and Wizards of the Coasts. To make it even more different to BG3, the new game could even be a real-time title, rather than turn-based, or even both, like Pillars of Eternity 2, giving the new Neverwinter Nights a retro feel with modern graphical fidelity.

Neverwinter Nights 3 Might Be Better Than Baldur’s Gate 4

There Are A Few Advantages It Would Have Over BG4

The problem with Baldur’s Gate is that modern fans will associate it with Larian and the way that the studio makes its games. Baldur’s Gate 3 is still so big, and Larian’s DNA is all over it, from the whimsical and heart-felt writing to the sometimes outrageous humor. A new studio would have to take over, and it would be such a difficult task to live up to Baldur’s Gate 3. Anything short of BG3‘s quality would illicit immediate comparisons and likely get far more hate than it would deserve. BG4 will probably suffer from BG3‘s success.

Neverwinter Nights hasn’t been touched in almost two decades, and a modern audience wouldn’t care too much about comparing a new game to its predecessors. There will always be comparisons of BG3 with any CRPG that uses D&D‘s systems, but Neverwinter Nights 3 will be able to use D&D 2024, a new system that would help separate this potential sequel from BG3. If Neverwinter Nights 3 follows the first game’s example, and acts as a toolkit for D&D 2024, it could be a perfect way to have a large audience play the new system.

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Although Baldur’s Gate 3 is the biggest D&D game out there, thanks to Larian’s work, the Belgium-based studio won’t be making a sequel, making the next title a potentially impossible task for another studio. Neverwinter Nights, on the other hand, doesn’t have this issue, and is currently in a similar place to the Baldur’s Gate series before a sequel was announced. With a new D&D system, the right studio, and the budget BG3 was given, Neverwinter Nights 3 could emulate the success of Larian’s golden goose.

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

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