Thanks to Larian Studios' Game of the Year-winning 2023 title Baldur's Gate 3, the Baldur's Gate franchise has become a household name amongst RPG lovers and Dungeons & Dragons fanatics across Xbox, PC, and PlayStation — even if I'd wager that most BG3 fans haven't actually played BioWare's original Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate 2 games released in 1998 and 2000, respectively.
Even though they're still considered excellent titles, both are quite dated and use a variant of D&D's older 2nd Edition ruleset that many consider archaic compared to today's 5th Edition model. According to a new report, though, Baldur's Gate 2 is officially getting a remake — and I'd be surprised if the first game in the series didn't get one, too.
That report comes from our friends at PC Gamer, who say they've learned from an inside source that D&D publisher Wizards of the Coast and its owner Hasbro have greenlit a BG2 remake. It's been said that its original co-lead designer Kevin Martens is involved with the project.
Notably, Martens has already been working with Wizards of the Coast on Exodus, an upcoming sci-fi RPG that Hasbro CEO Chris Cocks said is "effectively D&D in space" while discussing it in an interview a few weeks ago. "We’re familiar with role-playing games, and familiar with how to make good ones. It’s a genre we understand," he added. It's expected to come in 2027.
Martens has apparently already begun contributing to the revamped Baldur's Gate 2 even as he also works on Exodus, though I suspect he and Wizards of the Coast are developing a remake of the original Baldur's Gate RPG alongside it, also. Frankly, it would be rather odd to remake BG2 and not the first game, especially since the two share a more direct narrative connection than either of them do with BG3.
These remakes would presumably go much further than the simple 2013 "Enhanced Edition" remasters of the beloved classics, and bring about completely overhauled visuals and audio alongside deep gameplay changes. We could see their developers convert the games over to 5th Edition and make adjustments to make them play more like BG3, for example.
With Larian confirmed to be developing no DLC-style content for BG3, no longer partnered with Hasbro, and officially focusing on its next RPG Divinity, it's not terribly surprising that Wizards of the Coast is looking to capitalize on the immense success of the 2023 megahit with new releases of its own. I'm sure a Baldur's Gate 4 will come one day, but remakes of the first two titles would generate a nice profit and keep fans engaged in the interim.
As for when we'll get the overhauled BG2 and the remake of the original title I'm expecting will join it, it's unclear right now. Depending on how long they've been in development already and how ambitious they are, they could either launch as early as 2027 or as late as several years after that. In the end, only time will tell — but either way, I'm stoked to see how new life is breathed into these legendary RPGs.
Have you played the original Baldur's Gate RPGs? Are you excited to hear that, at the very least, a remake of BG2 is reportedly in development? Let me know below.
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