With Baldur's Gate 3's Steam Player Count Booming Following Patch 8, Larian Now Has 'Room to Focus on Making Our Next Big Thing as Good as We Can'

The release of the highly anticipated Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3 has led to a significant increase in player numbers on Steam, setting developer Larian up well for their next major project. This enormous update, which was rolled out last week, introduced 12 new subclasses and a brand new photo mode, sparking a surge in player interest as fans eagerly tested out these exciting additions.

Over the weekend, Baldur's Gate 3 achieved a concurrent player peak of 169,267 on Steam—a remarkable achievement for a single-player focused role-playing game in its second year. While Sony and Microsoft keep PlayStation and Xbox player numbers under wraps, the surge on Steam speaks volumes about the game's continued popularity.

Reflecting on the success of Patch 8, Larian's CEO Swen Vincke expressed optimism about the game's future on Twitter. He noted that the patch not only boosted player numbers but also that the thriving mod support would ensure Baldur's Gate 3 continues to perform well for a long time. This success, Vincke added, provides Larian with the opportunity to focus on creating their next big game, which he acknowledged would be a challenging endeavor given the high standards set by Baldur's Gate 3.

Vincke shared his satisfaction with the impact of Patch 8, stating, "Feeling good today about where we are with BG3. Patch 8 got a lot of people playing again. It took a lot of development effort but I'm happy we did it." He emphasized that the robust mod support would keep the game thriving, allowing Larian to shift their focus to their upcoming project.

Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur's Gate 3, concluding what has been an exceptional journey for Larian. The game, which launched to critical acclaim and achieved massive commercial success in 2023, has maintained strong sales throughout 2024 and into 2025.

In a surprising move, Larian announced their intention to move away from Baldur's Gate 3 and the Dungeons & Dragons universe to work on a new, undisclosed game. This decision was followed by a media blackout to allow the team to concentrate on their mysterious new project.

Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of D&D, has hinted at plans to continue the Baldur's Gate series. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, mentioned that with Larian moving on, there is significant interest in the Baldur's Gate franchise. Ayoub revealed that Hasbro is actively developing future plans for the series and teased that announcements would be made soon.

Ayoub did not specify whether these plans involve a new Baldur's Gate game or a crossover similar to the one with Magic: The Gathering. However, he expressed a desire for a Baldur's Gate 4, acknowledging that creating such a game would take time. He emphasized a measured approach, stating, "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."