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

Baldur’s Gate 3 has experienced a significant surge in player numbers on Steam following the release of the highly anticipated Patch 8. This update has positioned developer Larian Studios well as they shift focus to their next major project.

Patch 8, which launched last week, introduced 12 new subclasses to Baldur's Gate 3, along with a brand new photo mode. The excitement around these additions led to a notable increase in player engagement, with fans eager to explore the new content. Over the weekend, Baldur’s Gate 3 reached a concurrent player peak of 169,267 on Steam—an impressive milestone for a single-player focused role-playing game in its second year. Although Sony and Microsoft do not disclose player numbers for PlayStation and Xbox, the surge on Steam is indicative of the game's continued popularity.

Reflecting on the impact of Patch 8, Larian's chief, Swen Vincke, expressed optimism about the game's future. In a tweet, Vincke noted that the patch not only boosted player numbers but also highlighted the thriving mod support, which he believes will keep the game successful for the foreseeable future. This success, Vincke added, allows Larian to concentrate on creating their next ambitious project, acknowledging the high expectations they must meet.

"Feeling good today about where we are with BG3," Vincke stated. "Patch 8 got a lot of people playing again. It took a lot of development effort, but I'm happy we did it. With mod support thriving, I think the game will now continue to do well for quite some time. It gives us room to focus on making our next big thing as good as we can, and that focus is more than welcome. We've got big shoes to fill."

Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, concluding what has been a stellar period for Larian Studios. The game, which launched to critical acclaim and achieved remarkable commercial success in 2023, has maintained strong sales through 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 develop a new, undisclosed game. This decision was followed by a media blackout to focus on the mysterious new project. Meanwhile, D&D owner Hasbro has hinted at plans to continue the Baldur's Gate series. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, Dan Ayoub, revealed that with Larian stepping away, there is significant interest in the franchise.

"We're kind of working out our plans for the future and what we're going to be doing with that," Ayoub said. "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 full new Baldur's Gate game or another type of project, such as a crossover similar to previous collaborations with Magic: The Gathering, he expressed a long-term goal of eventually creating a Baldur's Gate 4. However, he emphasized that any such development would be approached carefully and thoughtfully.

"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," he remarked. "I mean, 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. We're starting to think about, okay, yeah, we're ready to start dipping toes a little bit and talking about a few things. And I think, in really short order, like I said, again, not to over-tease that point, we're going to have some other things to talk about around that."