Baldur's Gate 3 Player Surge Post-Patch 8: Larian Eyes Next Big Project

Baldur’s Gate 3 has experienced a remarkable surge in player numbers on Steam following the release of the much-anticipated Patch 8, positioning developer Larian Studios favorably as they prepare to embark on their next major project.

Patch 8, which was rolled out last week, introduced 12 new subclasses to the game, along with a new photo mode. This update sparked a significant increase in player engagement 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. It's worth noting that player numbers for PlayStation and Xbox are not publicly disclosed by Sony and Microsoft.

Reflecting on the impact of Patch 8, Larian's chief, Swen Vincke, took to Twitter to express his optimism about the game's future. He attributed the sustained success not only to the recent player boost but also to the thriving mod support. Vincke stated, "I expect Baldur’s Gate 3 to continue to do well for quite some time." This success provides Larian with the opportunity to shift their focus towards creating their next ambitious project. Vincke acknowledged the challenge ahead, saying, "We’ve got big shoes to fill."

Vincke further shared his satisfaction with the current state of Baldur’s Gate 3, noting, "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 the importance of the thriving mod community, which he believes will keep the game popular for the foreseeable future. This, in turn, allows Larian to concentrate on their upcoming project with renewed vigor.

Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, concluding a highly successful period for Larian. The game, which launched to critical acclaim and achieved significant commercial success in 2023, has continued to perform strongly into 2025.

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

Meanwhile, D&D owner Hasbro 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, revealed that with Larian stepping away, there is significant interest in the franchise. Ayoub mentioned, "We're kind of working out our plans for the future and what we're going to be doing with that. And actually, in pretty short order, we're going to have some stuff to talk about around that."

While Ayoub did not specify whether this would involve a new Baldur’s Gate game or another form of collaboration, such as the previous crossover with Magic: The Gathering, he expressed a desire for a Baldur’s Gate 4. However, he acknowledged that such a project would require time, stating, "We're not in a hurry. Right? That's the thing, 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."