Baldur’s Gate 3 has been nothing short of a phenomenon, selling more than 20 million copies worldwide and scooping nearly every Game of the Year award out there. But why has Larian Studios‘ biggest RPG to date connected with so many players?
For actor Devora Wilde, who plays the game’s githyanki companion Lae’zel, the reason the game has ignited such a wild spark with its community is because “it feels like having friends around you” while playing.
Speaking to Gamingbible, the actor, who also played Clea in Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, revealed how “lucky” she felt to have the opportunity to play some of these now iconic characters. However, Lae’zel is particulary close to her heart due to the depth of her arc across the game.
“It’s always hard to pick a favourite character to play, but Lae’zel is so well written, the person that she is at the beginning of the game is not who she is at the end, and she really goes through it,” she said. “As an actor, it’s incredible to play a character like that. Players get to experience that journey with her. I think at first, players may not have liked her, but I think she’s a favourite of many, and that’s amazing.”
“I think at first, players may not have liked her, but I think she’s a favourite of many, and that’s amazing.”
Devora Wilde
Given the sheer quality of writing in Baldur’s Gate 3, which helps the player forge deeper bonds with the characters, not to mention encourage multiple playthroughs, it’s unsurprising that the player experience survives long after the closing credits roll. For Wilde, this depth of relationship, a testament to both script and actor, is why Baldur’s Gate has, and continues to, connect with so many people.
“People have told me how some of my characters have helped them through some super difficult, dark times. I never saw my role as that when I was recording for these games,” she said. “I had a lady queue up to tell me how Baldur’s Gate 3 just helped her get through a really tough week, and made her feel better. Knowing that these games have helped people get through grief is amazing to me; that’s been a massive highlight.
“Baldur’s Gate 3 feels like having friends around you, and I feel that’s one of the reasons so many have connected with this game. Players have spent so many hours with these characters, getting to know them, they feel like friends, and I think that’s brilliant.”
While Larian Studios has stepped away from Dungeons and Dragons (for now at least), to focus on their new project, Divinity, Wizards of the Coast did confirm that Baldur’s Gate 4 is “of course going to happen”. At the time of writing, it’s not known who is developing the game, when it will release, or if any of the current game’s characters will return.
WotC also revealed its teamed up with Giant Skull, led by veteran developer Stig Asmussen, to create a brand new title in the D&D universe that will be closer to the “God of War, and the Jedi Series” than Baldur’s Gate 3.
