Owlcat is ready to take on the challenge of Baldur's Gate 4 but admits: replicating Larian's success is impossible

With the runaway success of Baldur’s Gate 3, whoever volunteers to continue the series will inherit massive expectations. Owlcat Games — the team behind Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader — says tackling Baldur’s Gate 4 would be brutal; at the same time, they admit the sheer difficulty adds to the appeal.

When Larian announced they’re staying focused on the Divinity universe, the fate of the Dungeons & Dragons flagship became a talking point. Fans began tossing out names of studios that might step in, debating who could plausibly deliver a large-scale RPG that satisfies the crowd.

Owlcat’s name comes up a lot. They’ve handled big IPs and heavyweight RPG designs before — e.g., their 2023 Warhammer title — and some players spot similarities with BG3: lots of content, strong character writing, a classical cRPG sensibility.

In an interview, Owlcat co-founder and creative director Alexander Mishulin spoke about the idea of making Baldur’s Gate 4. He framed it as an honor for the studio but stopped short of hinting at any formal talks or plans. “Thanks to everyone who thinks we could do this — it’s a real honor,” he said, adding with a smile that the team might be "a bit masochistic" and therefore would consider the challenge.

Mishulin was blunt about one pitfall: trying to copy BG3 outright. He pointed out that Larian’s success isn’t just the D&D license; it’s decades of craft, a distinct team style, particular design choices in combat, and a specific way of building an interactive world. Other developers, he warned, will inevitably produce something different — because they are different.

His bottom line: any new studio needs to bring its own ideas, its own “DNA.” Otherwise the project will live under BG3’s shadow from day one. IMO, that means courage to deviate rather than safe mimicry.

Industry figures echo the sense of difficulty. James Ohlen, who helped design Baldur’s Gate 2, reportedly turned down an invite to work on a fourth installment, saying trying to top Larian felt almost impossible.

BG3 didn’t arrive overnight; it reflects long experience, a lengthy early-access process, and a mountain of content. So whoever takes the job will have to do more than append a sequel tag — they’ll need to decide how much to nod to the past and how much to make the thing unmistakably theirs.

No studio has officially claimed Baldur’s Gate 4 yet. Owlcat’s stance is clear: copying won’t cut it. If a team picks up the mantle, they’ll either reinvent elements in a way that stands apart, or they’ll be stuck in comparison — and frankly, that’s part of why this whole idea is so fraught.