Why Baldur’s Gate 3 Changed the Game (And Why Devs Should Be Scared)

When Baldur’s Gate 3 dropped in full, it didn’t just raise the bar—it set the bar on fire and made everyone else look like they forgot their dice. This wasn’t just a CRPG renaissance. It was a hard slap to the face of an industry obsessed with battle passes and half-baked live service loops.

What made BG3 terrifying (for other devs)? It shipped finished. It respected the player’s time. It had branching storylines that actually mattered. And—maybe most shocking—it didn’t nickel-and-dime you for content already on the disc.

Players got real romance, real consequences, and real chaos. You could seduce a bear or launch a goblin into the sun. Larian Studios trusted you to break things. And in return, the game dominated Steam, TikTok, and every sweaty Reddit thread for months.

Now, players expect more. “It’s good… for a AAA game” won’t cut it anymore. Developers, publishers, studios—take note. BG3 is the blueprint now. And if you’re still serving unfinished $70 tech tests with day-one DLC, you’re on borrowed time.

Roll initiative. The genre’s changed.

AJ Hanson

AJ Hanson has been part of games media since 2011, writing, streaming, and ranting about the industry long before it was his job. He runs the Galaxy’s Edge Discord, the go-to community for fans of Disney’s Star Wars parks, and works as Marketing Director for the Virtual Cantina Network, helping produce shows, interviews, and fan events. A lifelong Star Wars fan and unapologetic nerd, AJ’s focus has always been on building spaces where people can connect, argue, and celebrate the things they love without all the corporate gloss.