
The patch restores confidence in Larian’s support model, while the pivot to Divinity could reshape the studio’s revenue pipeline and influence the modern cRPG market.
Larian’s decision to issue a post‑final patch underscores a broader industry trend where developers treat live games as evolving services rather than static releases. Gamers increasingly expect continuous bug remediation, especially for high‑profile titles that generate massive community engagement. By addressing the most egregious stability issues—crashes during loading and corrupted saves—Larian not only salvages player goodwill but also reinforces its reputation for meticulous craftsmanship, a valuable differentiator in the crowded RPG space.
The technical fix, packaged in a modest 120 MB update, targets a narrow yet critical segment of the player base whose progress was halted between Act 2 and Act 3. While the affected cohort may be small, the impact is disproportionate: lost hours, broken narratives, and potential churn. Restoring these experiences mitigates negative sentiment on forums and social channels, preserving the game’s long‑term health and encouraging continued micro‑transactions, DLC purchases, and word‑of‑mouth promotion.
Strategically, Larian is using the momentum from Baldur’s Gate 3 to accelerate its proprietary Divinity franchise. The recent trailer for the upcoming Divinity entry sparked a sales spike in earlier titles, indicating strong market appetite for classic cRPG mechanics wrapped in modern production values. By reallocating development resources toward Divinity, Larian aims to capture a loyal fanbase while retaining creative control, positioning itself for sustainable growth beyond the licensed D&D ecosystem. This pivot could set a precedent for studios leveraging blockbuster successes to launch or revitalize their own IPs, reshaping revenue models in the genre.
Larian just can't seem to leave Baldur's Gate 3 in the past, can it?
While the behemothic RPG shot the studio to stardom in 2023, Larian constantly tinkered with it for years afterwards – for better and for worse. Nearly a year on from Patch 8, which was purported to be the “final” update for the game, Larian is back for more and has spent some time fixing the most egregious bugs that remain in the fantasy game. Now it can really focus on Divinity, honest.
“Bet you thought you’d seen the last of these,” crows Larian’s social media manager on the Baldur’s Gate 3 (formerly Twitter) page. “Yes, we thought you were working on your new game now, like you said you were. That said, we’re not going to complain about fixing some of the game’s most annoying crashes,” and that’s exactly what Larian has done.
If you were getting stuck while loading saves, or trying to progress from Act 2 into Act 3, your corrupted saves should now be fixed, Larian writes. While that may be a minority of players, it’ll be a big help for those whose canon playthroughs were ruined by technical issues, and 120 MB is a small price for the rest of us to download in order to help those in need.
Larian’s commitment to its games post‑launch is admirable, but now it must be focused on the future. Baldur’s Gate 3 is now behind it; the D&D rights belong to Wizards of the Coast, which is making a movie adaptation without Larian’s involvement. It’s time to close that chapter and focus on Larian’s own IP, Divinity.
With the old Divinity games – Original Sin 2 especially – seeing a surge in sales after the Game Awards trailer for the new entry, the world is Larian’s oyster. With Baldur’s Gate 3 acting as a jumping‑on point for fans of modern RPGs to try out the classic cRPG style with all the voice acting and modern optimisation Larian can muster, everyone fully expects Divinity to be another great success.
If the debauched scenes of the trailer are anything to go by, bear romances are going to be the least of our worries when it eventually releases. That may be a good while, judging by modern development times, so at least we can be assured that our next playthrough of Baldur’s Gate 3 won’t have any trouble progressing past Act 2. Well, we’ve got to do something while we wait.
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