Baldur's Gate 3 now expected to launch in 2023

rockpapershotgun.com:

Larian Studios have always been a little vague on when Baldur's Gate 3 will leave early access because, well, that's how early access works. At one point they had suggested 2021 might be a possibility, then they said they were aiming for 2022, and now they're expecting the fantasy RPG will be finished in 2023. This news came alongside tonight's 'Panel From Hell' livestream focused on Patch 7, where Larian revealed the Barbarian class and the Improvised Weapons system which lets you wield even enemies as weapons.

"Our internal goal post for release is a quality bar rather than a date," Larian explained in a press release today. "A ton of progress has been made towards that quality bar over the past year in early access, but we know many players are waiting for an actual date. That date will come when we're even closer to meeting our goal, but right now our expectation is that Baldur's Gate 3 will be released out of early access in 2023."

If they have sufficient funding for development to take as long as it needs to, hey, cool, go for it! Better a good game later than a so-so one sooner.

When BG3 entered early access in October 2020, Larian's FAQ said they planned for this public development phase to last "at least one year" but, ultimately, "it'll be ready when it's ready." They also advised waiting for the full launch unless you really did want an early peek or to offer feedback, so they certainly warned people.

See our Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 7 preview for more info on the newness coming today. Yes, we saw someone swing a goblin as a makeshift club.

Disclosure: our dearly departed Adam Smith works at Larian on BG3.