Larian Studios has moved up the PC (Steam, GOG) version of Baldur’s Gate III from its previously planned August 31 release date to August 3, while pushing back the PlayStation 5 version from August 31 by one week to September 6, the developer announced.
“We’ve always been a studio that aims to release on as many platforms as possible, in order of readiness,” said Larian Studios director of publishing Michael Douse in a press release. “We’ve also aimed for the highest possible quality on every platform we’ve released on. We’re at a point where we’re reaching 60 frames per second on PlayStation 5, which is remarkable considering the breadth and depth Baldur’s Gate III aims for. It features over 170 hours of cinematics, more than twice the length of the entirety of Game of Thrones, and more than three times the dialogue of all three Lord of the Rings novels combined. It is a massive, expansive game that truly brings Dungeons & Dragons to life, with multiplayer and split-screen co-op, and at a scale that’s roughly four times that of our previous game, Divinity: Original Sin II. Reaching a technical bar that matches our design ambitions felt like the right move, while holding back the PC version when we knew we’d be ready felt like the wrong move in such a busy launch period.”
Larian Studios CEO and creative director Swen Vincke added, “We set out to make a game that would reward player creativity and truly bring Dungeons & Dragons to life in a cinematic way that explores the breadth and depth RPGs can offer. Baldur’s Gate III has become an astronomical game that never fails to surprise, and I’m super proud of the team. We couldn’t have done this without our Early Access community, but it’s crazy to think that all this time they experienced less than a quarter of what Baldur’s Gate III has to offer. I cannot wait to hear the stories our players will tell when the full game releases. It’s time to gather your party.”
Larian Studios also published the game’s latest “Community Update,” both on PlayStation Blog and Steam, which goes into detail about races and classes, new Origins and Companion characters, the official level cap, new difficulty settings, and more. Here is a brief overview of what it covers:
In a feature-filled community update, Larian reveals many long-awaited details about the content of Baldur’s Gate III—from which Dungeons & Dragons races and classes will appear in the game, to new playable characters and companions, to a wide array of new character customization options—as well as some staggering statistics about the RPG’s scope.
Larian has pulled these stats to put the scale of Baldur’s Gate III into perspective:
- Containing more dialogue than three times all three Lord of the Rings books combined, the script for Baldur’s Gate III contains over two million words.
- With over 170 hours of cinematics, twice the length of every season of Game of Thrones combined.
- Seven playable protagonists each with their own rich stories, personalities, desires, and objectives, as well as a best-in-class Character Creation system for custom characters.
- Play as one of 11 playable races and 31 subraces, with multiple body types.
- 12 classes and 46 subclasses, compared to Divinity: Original Sin II‘s 10 “schools of spells.”
- Over 600 spells and actions (excluding upcasts), compared to Divinity: Original Sin II‘s 225 player spells and actions.
Larian will finally explore the full scope of their sprawling RPG on July 7 during the “Panel From Hell: Release Showcase” live show.
Baldur’s Gate III first launched in Early Access for PC via Steam and GOG on October 6, 2020.
View a new set of screenshots at the gallery.
