The release of the highly anticipated Patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3 has led to a significant surge in player numbers on Steam. This patch, which added 12 new subclasses and a brand new photo mode, sparked renewed interest among fans eager to explore these additions. Over the weekend, Baldur’s Gate 3 achieved a concurrent player peak of 169,267 on Steam—an impressive milestone for a single-player focused role-playing game in its second year. While Sony and Microsoft do not disclose PlayStation and Xbox player numbers, the success on Steam is undeniable.

Reflecting on the impact of Patch 8, Larian Studios' chief Swen Vincke expressed optimism about the game's future. In a tweet, Vincke noted that the patch not only boosted player numbers but also highlighted the thriving mod support for Baldur’s Gate 3. This success allows Larian to shift focus to their next big project. "Feeling good today about where we are with BG3," Vincke shared. "Patch 8 got a lot of people playing again. It took a lot of development effort but I'm happy we did it. With mod support thriving, I think the game will now continue to do well for quite some time. It gives us room to focus on making our next big thing as good as we can and that focus is more than welcome. We've got big shoes to fill."

Patch 8 marks the final major update for Baldur’s Gate 3, closing a chapter on what has been an extraordinary journey for Larian Studios. The game launched to critical acclaim and enjoyed massive commercial success in 2023, with strong sales continuing into 2024 and 2025. In a surprising move, Larian announced their departure from the Baldur’s Gate series and the Dungeons & Dragons universe to concentrate on a new, undisclosed project. This shift was accompanied by a media blackout to maintain focus on the new endeavor.

Meanwhile, Dungeons & Dragons owner Hasbro has hinted at plans to continue the Baldur’s Gate series. Speaking at the Game Developers Conference, Hasbro's SVP of digital games, Dan Ayoub, mentioned that with Larian moving on, there is significant interest in the Baldur’s Gate franchise. "We're kind of working out our plans for the future and what we're going to be doing with that," Ayoub said. "And actually, in pretty short order, we're going to have some stuff to talk about around that." While Ayoub did not specify whether this would involve a new game like Baldur’s Gate 4 or a different type of project, he expressed a desire for a future Baldur’s Gate 4, though he acknowledged that such a development would take time. "It's somewhat of an unenviable position," he admitted. "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."