Incredible peice of new for anybody who's been a long term fan of Bioware.
It's a fairly lengthy read, but well worth it. At this point, it seems like its barely even in the initial stages of development. But, it IS in development--a nice change if you've been waiting for new like this for YEARS
from Kotaku:
We've missed you, Boo.
After releasing the sensational "Throne of Bhaal"conclusion to their acclaimed Baldur's Gate series, Canadian developer Bioware has largely let the series enjoy a comfortable retirement. The franchise did recieve two console installments, Baldur's Gate:Dark Alliance and Baldur's Gate:Dark Alliance 2, in 2001 and 2004 respectively, but Bioware had no hand in either's development, and they were hardly connected to the series beyond name.
But it looks like, after a long wait, the legion of Baldur's Gate fans will get what they've hardly dared to hope for. In a recent interview at the GDC, Co-President Ray Muzyka strongly hinted at the game's possible existence. These rumors were later credified when David Gaider, Bioware employee, decided to speak out about the game.
David Gaider worked on previous Baldur's Gate games, and more recently, led the design of Bioware RPG Dragon Age. Apparently, he'll be taking up the lead designer mantle again for Baldur's Gate 3. Gaider claimed that his work on Dragon Age helped inspire him to revive the classic franchise. "You, know, for a long time, I think we thought, it's better not to touch it," said Gaider. "It's clearly a very well loved game, and a lot of people here have been of the opinion that trying to do anything new with the franchise might tarnish its name."
"Working on Dragon Age these past few years, though, one thing has been made clear to me: If there's one type of game I love, its fantasy oriented ones in the epic vein of Baldur's Gate and Bioware. And so, I brought the idea up with Greg and Ray, and, after being initially a little apprehensive, they've finally decided to give it the go ahead."
When asked if he thought the recent merger with super-publisher EA had played a part in the decision, Gaider appeared unsure. "Well, obviously, this we way we're definely going to have a lot better funding," said Gaider. "But are you asking if EA pressured us into doing this? Definitely not. Bringing back Baldur's Gate is something we would only do on our own terms."
It's still very early on, but Gaider claims almost every reaction has been positive. "I've been getting overwhelming support from everyone who's heard about the idea," he admitted. "I just got back off the phone with Jim [Cummings] in fact, wondering if he would be able to reprise his role as Minsc." In the series, Minsc was a border-line insane beserker who carried around a rodent named "Boo" as his constant companion.
"So a release date? I don't think we can really even conjecture about that at this point. Right now its just me and a few other guys, jotting down ideas, sketching out concepts. That kind of thing. But is it coming? Defintely."
Good enough for us.
http://kotaku.com/35385/baldurs-gate-3-+-possible-for-2010
Crusty VGchartz old timer who sporadically returns & posts. Let's debate nebulous shit and expand our perpectives. Or whatever.
