Baldur's Gate 3 Clinches the DICE Game of the Year Award and Unveils Patch #6 Improvements

Douse emphasized the industry's occasional failure to recognize the worth of developers and reassured them of their significance, encouraging resilience in the face of challenges. He also underscored the current challenging times for game developers and acknowledged the industry's unpredictable nature, while throwing much deserved shade at shareholders.

Larian Studios' Head of Production David Walgrave further emphasized their commitment to community building and criticized microtransactions, highlighting the studio's philosophy of prioritizing player satisfaction over short-term financial gains.

Baldur's Gate 3

's success has been celebrated not only for its critical acclaim but also for its ethical approach to game development. The game, free from microtransactions and predatory monetization schemes, serves as a model for creating high-quality, player-focused experiences.

Larian's unique position as its majority shareholder, with a 30 percent ownership stake held by Tencent, allows the studio financial stability without compromising creative decisions. However, this partnership with Tencent and the success of BG3 also led to unfounded rumors that Tencent was interested in buying the Dungeons & Dragons IP from Wizards of the Coast.

The victory at the DICE Awards coincided with the recent release of Patch #6 on February 16. The new Patch introduced improvements such as enhanced visuals, new camp idle animations, and additional Legendary Actions in Honour Mode. And for BG3 fans who really like the kissing animations, Patch 6 now adds unique and randomized kisses, which range from a quick smack to more passionate (some would say adult) displays of affection.

The patch, however, comes with significant download sizes, requiring console users to allocate 21 GB and Steam users a substantial 150 GB of free storage space - that isn't actually a gross total of 150 GB used in total, as the space is needed for temporary files. Alternatively, Steam users can opt to uninstall the old version and do a fresh install of the patched version, requiring less total storage space.

As Baldur's Gate 3 celebrates six months since its initial release, anticipation for potential downloadable content (DLC) continues to grow. While CEO Swen Vincke confirmed the team's desire to explore post-launch content that expands the game further with new level caps and other content, the focus has remained on support patches. Plus, the Larian Studios team is also looking forward to a well-deserved break.

With 2024 underway and WoTC celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Dungeons & Dragons TTRPG, fans may catch glimpses of DLC hints in the coming months, although details remain speculative at this point. In light of Baldur's Gate 3's ongoing success and the potential for future developments, the gaming community is left with a compelling question: What exciting adventures await in Faerûn?