History of Baldur's Gate 3 in Timeline

Baldur's Gate 3, developed by Larian Studios and released in 2023, is the latest installment in the Baldur's Gate series. Available on Windows, PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series X/S, this role-playing game centers around a party's quest to rid themselves of mind-flayer parasites infecting them. The game can be experienced solo or with a group of players.

1995: Start of Baldur's Gate Series Development

In 1995, the Baldur's Gate series began development when TSR, Inc. (Wizards of the Coast's predecessor) asked Interplay Entertainment to produce a Dungeons & Dragons video game.

1996: BioWare Partnership with Interplay for Shattered Steel

In 1996, BioWare agreed to develop the title, having formed a partnership with Interplay for Shattered Steel.

1998: Release of Baldur's Gate

In 1998, BioWare developed and released the first game in the series, Baldur's Gate.

1999: Expansion of Baldur's Gate

In 1999, the commercial success of Baldur's Gate led to an expansion of the game.

2000: Time Setting of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn takes place in 2000.

2002: Release of Neverwinter Nights

In 2002, BioWare's third game with the D&D property, Neverwinter Nights, used D&D's third edition.

2003: Cancellation of The Black Hound

In 2003, the development of Baldur's Gate III, subtitled The Black Hound by Black Isle, was cancelled following a licensing dispute.

2014: Vincke First Approached WotC

In 2014, Vincke first approached Wizards of the Coast (WotC) about making Baldur's Gate 3 during Larian's development of Divinity: Original Sin, but WotC declined.

2014: Wizards of the Coast Declined Larian's First Pitch

In 2014, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) declined Larian Studios' initial pitch to develop Baldur's Gate 3, following the release of Divinity: Original Sin.

2016: Release of Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear

In 2016, Beamdog made enhanced editions of the first and second games, followed by Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, a large expansion using the Infinity Engine.

2017: Studio Size in 2017

In 2017, Larian Studios had around 140 employees.

2017: Wizards of the Coast Greenlit Larian's Development

In 2017, Wizards of the Coast (WotC), impressed by pre-release material for Divinity: Original Sin II, welcomed a new pitch from Larian Studios and eventually greenlit the development of Baldur's Gate 3.

2017: Wizards of the Coast Asked Larian for a Pitch

In 2017, shortly before the release of Divinity: Original Sin II, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) were intrigued by prerelease footage and asked Larian for a pitch for Baldur's Gate 3.

July 2019: Baldur's Gate 3 Revealed at Stadia Conference

In July 2019, Larian Studios revealed Baldur's Gate 3 with a trailer at a conference for Google's cloud gaming platform, Stadia.

October 2019: Fargo Knew About Baldur's Gate 3 Development

In October 2019, Brian Fargo said in a Twitter post that he knew who was developing Baldur's Gate 3.

2019: Setting after Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

In 2019, Baldur's Gate 3 takes place shortly after the events of the D&D tie-in adventure, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus.

2019: Larian Collaborated on Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

In 2019, Larian collaborated with WotC on a precursor module for the game, Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus. The module provided information on events occurring since Baldur's Gate II.

August 2020: Larian Released the First Act in Early Access

In August 2020, Larian Studios released the first act of Baldur's Gate 3 in early access, which provided them with player feedback and revenue.

October 2020: Early Access Release

In October 2020, Larian released an unfinished version of Baldur's Gate 3's first act into early access.

2020: Dialogue Estimation

In 2020, Vincke estimated the game spanned 1.5 million words of dialogue.

2020: Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nomination

In 2020, the game's composer, Borislav Slavov, received a Hollywood Music in Media Awards nomination for Original Song – Video Games for "Weeping Dawn".

2021: Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nomination

In 2021, Borislav Slavov received a Hollywood Music in Media Awards nomination for Original Song – Video Games for "I Want to Live".

March 2023: Concerns About Delay to Avoid Starfield Competition

In March 2023, Larian Studios staff were concerned that Baldur's Gate 3 would be delayed to avoid competition from Bethesda Softworks' Starfield.

August 2023: First Patch Released for PC

In August 2023, Larian Studios released the first patch for the PC version of Baldur's Gate 3, which included over 1,000 bug fixes, balance changes, and animation improvements.

August 2023: Windows Release

On August 3, 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 was released for Windows.

September 2023: PlayStation 5 and macOS Release

In September 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 was released for PlayStation 5 on September 6th and macOS on September 22nd.

September 2023: Update with Customization and Modding

In September 2023, an update was released for Baldur's Gate 3 that permitted players to customize their appearance, support for modding, and increased the number of endings for evil playthroughs.

November 2023: Patch with New Customization Options

In November 2023, Larian released a patch for Baldur's Gate 3 that added customization for player characters and hirelings; increased the frequency of autosaving; and new idle animations.

December 2023: New Difficulty Modes and Expanded Epilogue

In December 2023, the developer added two difficulty modes and an expanded epilogue featuring over 3,500 new lines of dialogue to Baldur's Gate 3.

December 2023: Xbox Series X and Series S Release

On December 7, 2023, Larian released Baldur's Gate 3 on Xbox Series X and Series S, directly following The Game Awards 2023.

2023: One of 2023's Largest Launches

Baldur's Gate 3 became one of 2023's largest launches after its release.

2023: Studio Size in 2023

By 2023, Larian Studios had grown to over 450 employees, becoming one of the world's largest privately owned video game companies.

2023: Google Discontinued Stadia

Following Google's discontinuation of Stadia in 2023, Vincke expressed regret, describing it as "a really stupid deal", but said the funds provided by the deal had funded the game's visuals.

2023: Multiple Awards Won

In 2023, Baldur's Gate 3 had record-breaking award success, including wins at The Steam Awards, The Game Awards, and the Golden Joystick Awards. At The Game Awards, the game won in six of the nine nominated categories, including Best Role Playing Game, Best Community Support, and Best Multiplayer Game.

2023: Full Release of Baldur's Gate 3

In 2023, Baldur's Gate 3, a role-playing video game developed by Larian Studios, had its full release for Windows on August 3rd, with PlayStation 5, macOS, and Xbox Series X/S versions following later in the year. The narrative centers around curing the party of Illithid parasites.

2023: Awards Nominations and Win for Game's Score

In 2023, Borislav Slavov was nominated for Best Score and Music at The Game Awards, and for the full score at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards. Also in 2023, Slavov won in the Music category at the BAFTAs.

2023: Hasbro Earnings Report

In a Q4 2023 earnings call, Wizards of the Coast's parent company Hasbro said that Baldur's Gate 3 had earned the company $90 million.

February 2024: Over 10 Million Players

In February 2024, Larian's publishing director Michael Douse said that Baldur's Gate 3 had over 10 million players.

March 2024: Larian Studios Cancels DLC and Sequel Plans

In March 2024, Larian Studios reiterated their commitment to supporting Baldur's Gate 3 but announced at the Game Developers Conference that they would not develop a sequel or DLC, due to a lack of internal passion for the idea.

April 2024: First Game to Win GOTY at all Five Major Ceremonies

In April 2024, Baldur's Gate 3 became the first game to win Game of the Year, or the equivalent category, at all five major ceremonies: the Golden Joystick Awards, the Game Developers Choice Awards, the D.I.C.E. Awards, the BAFTAs, and The Game Awards.

November 2024: Pre-Tax Profit Reached €249 Million

The Irish Independent reported in November 2024 that Larian's 2023 pre-tax profit reached €249 million, a twentyfold increase from the previous year, and that Baldur's Gate 3 had thus far sold 15 million copies.

2024: Increase in Player Count

Douse said the game's player count increased 20% over 2024, with IGN's Wesley Yin-Poole attributing this to modding support.

2024: Awards Recognition for LGBTQ+ Representation and Performances

In 2024, Baldur's Gate 3 won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Video Game and received four nominations at the Gayming Awards, winning Game of the Year and Best LGBTQ Character for Shadowheart. These awards recognized BG3's LGBTQ+ representation. Additionally, performances in the game, such as Neil Newbon's (Astarion), Tracy Wiles' (Jaheira), Dave Jones' (Halsin) and Andrew Wincott's (Raphael), have also received awards recognition. Neil Newbon won Best Supporting Performer at the Golden Joysticks and Best Performance at The Game Awards.

2024: Cutscenes Estimation

In 2024, Vincke estimated 1.3 million lines and over 140 hours of cutscenes were in development.

2024: GamesRadar+ Couldn't Name BG3 Game of the Year

Jasmine Gould-Wilson regretted that GamesRadar+ could not name Baldur's Gate 3 as their 2024 game of the year despite extensive changes.

April 2025: Eighth and Final Patch Released

In April 2025, Larian released the eighth and final patch for Baldur's Gate 3, which introduced 12 new sub-classes, a photo mode, cross-platform play, and co-operative split-screen for Xbox Series S.

2025: Divinity Revealed

At the 2025 Game Awards, one of the projects Larian has been working on was revealed to be Divinity.

2025: Sales of over 20 Million Copies

By the end of 2025, the game had sold over 20 million copies.

2026: Fan-Made Expansion "Path to Menzoberranzan" Release

In 2026, a team of fan modders are scheduled to release the alpha build of an independent expansion called "Path to Menzoberranzan".

2030: Target Release Year for New Project

Larian Studios announced they are working on two new projects with their own intellectual property, targeting a pre-2030 release for the first project.