Baldur's Gate 3 Surges on Steam Post-Patch 8, Larian Shifts Focus to Next Big Project

Baldur's Gate 3 has experienced a remarkable resurgence in player numbers on Steam following the release of the much-anticipated Patch 8. This update has not only revitalized the game but also positioned developer Larian Studios perfectly to transition to their next major project.

Patch 8, a significant update, was released last week and introduced 12 new subclasses along with a brand new photo mode. This sparked a surge in player interest, as fans eagerly returned to explore these new features. Over the weekend, Baldur's Gate 3 achieved a concurrent player peak of 169,267 on Steam, an impressive milestone for a single-player focused RPG in its second year. Note that player numbers for PlayStation and Xbox are not publicly disclosed by Sony and Microsoft.

Reflecting on the success of Patch 8, Larian's CEO, Swen Vincke, expressed optimism about the game's future, citing not only the player boost but also the thriving mod support. "Baldur's Gate 3 will continue to do well for quite some time," Vincke stated via Twitter. He further noted that this success allows Larian to focus on their next major project, acknowledging the high expectations they face: "We've got big shoes to fill."

Vincke also shared his satisfaction with the development effort behind Patch 8, which has re-engaged a significant number of players. "Feeling good today about where we are with BG3," he said. "Patch 8 got a lot of people playing again. It took a lot of development effort, but I'm happy we did it."

Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur's Gate 3, signaling the end of a remarkable chapter for Larian. The game, which launched to critical acclaim and achieved enormous commercial success in 2023, has continued to sell strongly through 2024 and into 2025.

In a surprising move, Larian announced their intention to move away from Baldur's Gate 3 and the Dungeons & Dragons franchise to focus on a new, undisclosed project. This decision was followed by a media blackout to concentrate on the development of this mystery game.

Meanwhile, D&D owner Hasbro has hinted at plans to continue the Baldur's Gate series. In an interview with IGN at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, mentioned that with Larian stepping away, "a lot of people [are] very interested in Baldur's Gate." Ayoub indicated that Hasbro is working on future plans for the series and teased that they would have more to share soon. While he did not specify whether this would involve a new Baldur's Gate game or another type of project, Ayoub expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4, acknowledging that such a project would take time.

"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," Ayoub remarked. "We're not in a hurry. We're going to take a very measured approach... We've got a lot of plans, a lot of different ways to go about it. We're starting to think about, okay, yeah, we're ready to start dipping toes a little bit and talking about a few things. And I think, in really short order, like I said, again, not to over-tease that point, we're going to have some other things to talk about around that."