The release of the eagerly awaited Patch 8 for *Baldur’s Gate 3* has led to a significant increase in player numbers on Steam, setting developer Larian up for success as they shift their focus to their next major project. Launched last week, Patch 8 introduced 12 new subclasses and a brand new photo mode, sparking a surge in player interest as fans eagerly explored these fresh additions.
Over the weekend, *Baldur’s Gate 3* reached a concurrent peak of 169,267 players on Steam—an impressive milestone for a single-player focused role-playing game in its second year. While Sony and Microsoft keep PlayStation and Xbox player numbers under wraps, the surge on Steam speaks volumes about the game's continued popularity.
Reflecting on Patch 8's impact, Larian's chief, Swen Vincke, took to Twitter to express his confidence in the game's ongoing success. He credited not only the player boost from Patch 8 but also the thriving mod support for ensuring *Baldur’s Gate 3* will "continue to do well for quite some time." This sustained interest allows Larian the space to concentrate on creating their next big game, which Vincke acknowledged as a challenging but welcome focus. "We've got big shoes to fill," he stated.
Vincke also shared his satisfaction with Patch 8, noting that it reignited player engagement and required significant development effort. "Feeling good today about where we are with BG3," he said. "Patch 8 got a lot of people playing again. It took a lot of development effort but I'm happy we did it."
Patch 8 marks the final major update for *Baldur’s Gate 3*, concluding a remarkable chapter for Larian. The game, which launched to critical acclaim and achieved immense commercial success in 2023, has maintained strong sales into 2024 and 2025.
In a surprising move, Larian announced their departure from *Baldur’s Gate 3* and the *Dungeons & Dragons* universe to work on a new, undisclosed project. They teased this new venture before implementing a media blackout to concentrate on development.
Meanwhile, *Dungeons & Dragons* owner Hasbro has hinted at continuing the *Baldur’s Gate* series. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, Dan Ayoub, SVP of digital games at Hasbro, revealed that with Larian moving on, "a lot of people [are] very interested in Baldur's Gate." Ayoub mentioned that Hasbro is formulating plans for the franchise's future and promised forthcoming announcements. While he didn't specify whether these plans involve a new *Baldur’s Gate* game or a crossover similar to the *Magic: The Gathering* collaboration, he expressed a desire for a *Baldur’s Gate 4*, albeit acknowledging that its development would take time.
"It's somewhat of an unenviable position," Ayoub 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."
