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[LectureMaster]

Baldur's Gate 3 is 'an inspiration' for CD Projekt, but it's all-in on big open worlds: 'We are definitely not going to make a game like Larian did'

Open worlds aren't as novel now as they were when The Witcher 3 came out, but CDPR isn't keen to abandon its signature style.

www.pcgamer.com

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Confirmed best PC game Baldur's Gate 3 brought CRPG stylings back into the spotlight, and more than that, proved the enduring appeal of an exceptionally reactive, player-driven story with emergent narratives and shenanigans aplenty.

But while the game's success was "an inspiration" according to CD Projekt's joint CEO Michał Nowakowski, it's not necessarily the direction development division CD Projekt Red (CDPR)'s games are headed.

Speaking to PC Gamer's Joshua Wolens, Nowakowski said "There was a lot of inspiration in what Baldur's Gate 3 did, but I think we're still sticking to what was in Witcher 3, Cyberpunk. But we don't want to just make another game like that, just with better graphics. We do want to innovate."

As for how, Nowakowski didn't have anything to reveal just yet. But he doubled down on the fact that it wouldn't resemble Divinity or Baldur's Gate: "We definitely are not going to make a game like Larian did.

"That's the kind of game they can make. But a lot of stuff with how they can interact with the world and what it does was, for sure, some inspiration to us."

Of course, CDPR has taken The Witcher in new directions before with spinoffs like Gwent and Thronebreaker. But as Nowakowski told Joshua, "we made at some point the decision that the in-house team has to focus on the key pillar games rather than doing spinoffs … maybe that's going to change, but at the moment, the way we are structured right now, we don't necessarily want to walk away from that."

I'm keen to see what the next open-world game from CDPR looks like. Cyberpunk took a while to find its footing, but it turned out pretty snazzy in the end, and it's no secret that The Witcher 3 is one of the best RPGs in the biz. It cured my open-world fatigue once; maybe the next entry can similarly tear me away from my nth replay of Baldur's Gate.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I just want some damn focus. The mechanics need to feel good and make sense within the context of the game. The world can be big, but endless expanse for no purpose is not fun. Even less so than when W3 came out in 2015, because the novelty of doing that is completely gone at this point. Give me well-crafted quests instead of detective mode. And for God's sake, polish the first go-round of one of your games for once.

 

[Loomy]

From a storytelling and narrative design perspective, that's a good inspiration to have.

 

[calico]

"we made at some point the decision that the in-house team has to focus on the key pillar games rather than doing spinoffs …"

They're literally all working on a Ciri spinoff of The Witcher right now.

 

[Kumomeme]

i just hope it has proper responsiveness to the animation this time.