Despite the immense success ofBaldur’s Gate 3, the future of the series is still in the air with Larian Studios deciding not to continue with the IP in favor of developing its own. While this is strange considering howBG3has made Larian extraordinarily popular in the gaming industry, it makes sense given how most of the staff from Wizards of the Coast who greenlit the game are no longer there. Still, there has been a lot of speculation about where a potentialBaldur’s Gate 4would go, mainly around what studio will take the reins from Larian.
Names like Obsidian and Bioware have been thrown around, butit feels like any RPG studio that takes over will be a downgrade from Larian. It doesn’t help that Obsidian and Bioware have recently produced RPGs to mixed reception, whileBG3is universally loved, and indie CRPG developers like Owlcat (PathfinderandWarhammer 40K: Rogue Trader) and Tactical Adventures (Solastaseries) don’t yet seem ready for the task. Despite Larian no longer wanting to be involved, the same doesn’t apply to the cast behind the iconic characters, especially Neil Newbon,BG3’s Best Performance winner and voice behind Astarion.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s Cast Should Return For BG4
Even With A New Studio, BG4 Should Feel Like A Proper Sequel
Neil Newbon has made his intention to continue playing Astarion clear after an interview withTheGamer,stating that he would'“have to be dead"to be recast, and it’s clear that most of the cast feel the same. Many have reprized their roles for severalD&Dlive shows, with Newbon and Samantha Béart (VA for Karlach) being the most consistent in this regard, and while Larian has moved on, it’s clear the cast are ready for another call up. With how beloved the cast have become, it isn’t surprising that they want to make a comeback.
Neil Newbon is also known for playing Elijah Kamski inDetroit: Become Humanand Karl Heisenberg inResident Evil: Village.
Although there will be anew studio and voice behindBG4, that doesn’t mean the cast ofBG3should be forgotten, especially with the impact the game has had. While a new cast to fill out the party members should be made, as it would be weird to have theBG3cast go back to level 1 after their adventures, that shouldn’t mean they can’t return.Baldur’s Gate 3has a handful of characters fromBG1and2, as well as many references to the events of these games, somethingBG4should replicate and honor.
Considering where many of the party members end up,with characters like Wyll and Astarion able to stay in the city of Baldur’s Gate after defeating the Netherbrain, it wouldn’t require a lot to get theBG3cast involved.Baldur’s Gategames always end up in the city they are named after, and with how popular and powerful thecompanions ofBG3became, it would feel like the studio behindBG4would have to go out of its way not to include the prior cast. The issue would be choosing what endings would be canon for these characters.
The BG3 Cast Can Return After A Time Skip
Similar To What BG3 Did With BG2
With a new studio behind the game, a time skip would help give some separation betweenBG4and3. More importantly, it would give some ambiguity as to what happened to the cast ofBG3, considering their multiple endings, meaning that a new studio wouldn’t have to choose what to make canon. A time gap also allows theBG3cast to develop into their own roles outside of being a part of Tav’s party, although something as drastic as the gap betweenBG3and2is likely too long for many characters to return.
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BG3takes place well over 100 years after the second game, and a time skip of this size would probably be too long for most of the cast to survive.WithBG3being better known thanBG2, it would be ideal to keep the events of that game closer to its sequel. A decade or two would be ideal, allowing many of the cast members to properly settle into their new roles while ensuring they are still alive to do them. It should be long enough for the city to have recovered after the battle with the Netherbrain.
Despite being human, Minsc lives long enough to be in bothBG2and3, surviving after being petrified for most of time between the two games.
Characters like Astarion and Lae’zel will remain unchanged (Lae’zel won’t age in the Astral Plane), while Shadowheart will only slightly mature because of her half-elf heritage.They could return similarly to how members of theBG2cast came back, withSarevok being a potential antagonist(which Astarion could be if he takes Cazador’s place) and Jaheria and Minsc being later-game party members. Reintroducing characters this way will allow changes to make sense, compensating for the new writing team behind them that might not have Larian’s writing style down well enough to keep them as they were inBG3.
BG4 Can’t Repeat Larian’s Mistake With Viconia
The BG3 Cast Is Too Well Known For That Luxury
It’s quite difficult to find anything wrong withBG3,but a common complaint from fans of the older titles is the handling of Viconia DeVir, a former party member. Many didn’t like Viconia’s treatment inBG3, and while this feels like a nitpick in the grand scale of the rest of the game, it won’t feel that way ifBG4makes the same mistake.BG3is too popular for that, and withmods in 2025, will likely stay in many players' minds for a long time, especially considering how popular it has remained two years after its release.
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If Astarion was changed drastically, made into a stoic, self-serious, cult leader without his prior charm, fans ofBG3would riot in a way thatBG2fans can’t. That’s part of the conundrum that the developer behindBG4would have. It needs to include theBG3in some capacity to feel like a true sequel, but because of how beloved the cast has become,the studio has to get these characters right without their original writers. A wrong step will make inevitable comparisons with Larian look unflattering, especially ifLarian nails its next project.
It’s an impossible task to follow up Larian’s work onBaldur’s Gate 3, but using some of its iconic cast members can help the transition and keepBG4feeling like a true sequel. A time skip can help compensate for any character changes between the games because of a different writing staff, although the writers do have to be careful not to make too many drastic changes, or else they will earn theBG3fans' anger. Still, with cast members like Neil Newbon keen to return, it only makes sense to grant these actors their request.
