This is not a criticism - I love how much attention this game has been getting. I’m just not understanding why BG3 has been blowing up so much. It seems like BG3 is getting more attention than all of Larian’s previous games combined (and maybe all of Obsidian’s recent crpgs as well). Traditionally crpgs have not lit the world on fire in this way. Is it just timing of the release? Is it a combo of Divinity fans and new D&D fans and Baldur’s Gate oldheads all being stoked about this release for their own reasons? Or something else?
Note:I have not played it yet myself, just curious what folks think?
With how much they adapted 5e’s rules for a video game (thankfully, 5e can be jank) I’d wager it’s more to do with them riding on the Forgotten Realms setting. It’s hugely popular (see: BG 1-2, dozens of books, most popular D&D setting through the last few editions) so it helps drive interest that there’s a competent game that is both faithful to the lore and excels at storytelling.
For instance I really liked a tiny scrap of paper dealing with the Mines of Phandelver hundreds of years ago. That’s a bit of flavor from the 5e Red Box. Tons of stuff like that calling back to adventures and books in the series.
Exactly. I should have expanded further, but I was including Forgotten Realms as part of the D&D brand.