Larian Studios, makers of the staggeringly acclaimed Baldur’s Gate 3, famously turned down the opportunity to work on a follow-up to that game. But, as it turns out, Larian head Swen Vincke wasn’t the only lead on a previous Baldur’s Gate game to turn down the chance to develop Baldur’s Gate 4, as James Ohlen, lead designer for Baldur’s Gate and co-lead designer for Baldur’s Gate 2, also refused Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast’s offer to work on a new game in the series.
As detailed in an interview with PC Gamer, Ohlen was offered the gig soon after Larian turned it down. However, Ohlen’s choice to turn down the opportunity to develop Baldur’s Gate 4 was arguably a little more awkward, as his newly formed development studio, Archetype Entertainment, is actually owned by Baldur’s Gate’s IP holders Hasbro and its parent company, Wizards of the Coast.
“The day [Hasbro CEO Chris Cox] knew [Larian] weren’t going to do it, he called me. ‘Hey James, what do you think about doing Baldur’s Gate 4?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t, I would fail, and here’s why I would fail,’” Ohlen told PC Gamer. “I wouldn’t want to compete against that. Doing [Archetype’s sci-fi action RPG] Exodus is hard enough, but having to compete against Baldur’s Gate 3? That would be insanity.”
According to PC Gamer, Ohlen has since parted ways with Archetype Entertainment, and with game development as a whole, due to “burnout.” On the plus side, the same report also states that Kevin Martens, Baldur’s Gate 2’s other lead designer, is part of the team behind an upcoming remake of Baldur’s Gate 2. No word on who is going to tackle Baldur’s Gate 4 yet, but good luck to whoever tries to follow up on Larian’s work.