Baldur’s Gate 3, the acclaimed RPG developed by Larian Studios, may be crossing over with the cult hit Vampire Survivors. Larian Studios launched the officially licensed Dungeons & Dragons computer roleplaying game (CRPG) last year to unprecedented critical and financial success, and these days gaming is absolutely lousy with crossovers.
Vampire Survivors is an award-winning indie Rogue-like game from Poncle that built up its own niche and hardcore fan support. Is there a crossover being brewed by the two game studios? Swen Vincke, Larian Studios CEO and the director of Baldur’s Gate 3, recently ignited speculation with a tweet suggesting a collaboration between the two games.
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) March 18, 2024
Vincke included a poll on his X (formerly Twitter) feed, asking whether Baldur’s Gate 3 and Vampire Survivors should collaborate, offering only two options: “Yes” and “F— yes.” Despite the casual nature of the poll, the response from fans was overwhelmingly positive, with over 19,000 votes recorded at the time of writing, and “F— yes” leading with 51.2% of the votes.
Accompanying the poll was a cryptic image shared by Vincke, depicting a meeting between himself and Luca Galante, a key figure behind Vampire Survivors development team. This image further fueled speculation and excitement among fans, who eagerly discussed potential crossovers and character interactions between the two games.
Both Baldur’s Gate 3 and Vampire Survivors have experienced considerable success in their respective spheres within the gaming industry and community. The AAA CRPG Baldur’s Gate 3 received multiple Game of the Year awards following its release. Meanwhile, Vampire Survivors, an indie passion project, surpassed expectations and garnered a dedicated fanbase.
Despite their individual achievements, both games have seen a slight drop in player engagement recently. Baldur’s Gate 3, while still popular, has experienced a decrease in concurrent players on Steam, marking the first time this statistic has fallen below six digits since its launch. Could it be due to player fatigue or have the technical issues taken its toll on BG3?
Similarly, Vampire Survivors has observed stagnating numbers, with its average concurrent players dropping below 10,000 since April 2023. A collaboration between Baldur’s Gate 3 and Vampire Survivors presents an opportunity for both games to revitalize their communities and attract new players.
For Larian Studios, the crossover could inject fresh excitement into Baldur’s Gate 3, particularly with Dungeons & Dragons celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Meanwhile, the collaboration could provide a mainstream boost to Vampire Survivors, especially as the development team works on an animated TV series adaptation that was announced last year.
While the collaboration remains a possibility, it’s important to note that Vincke’s tweet does not confirm any concrete plans. On the other hand, Vampire Survivors has already crossed over with other popular video games, such as the Among Us. That crossover DLC, released in 2023, demonstrates the game’s openness to partnerships with other titles. So there is a precedent for it.
A major point to consider is whether Wizards of the Coast (WotC) and parent company Hasbro will approve of such a collaboration. While Larian Studios officially licensed the Dungeons & Dragons IP and the Forgotten Realms campaign setting from WotC, that only applies to the Baldur’s Gate 3 game itself.
While BG3 characters have appeared on D&D adjacent games like Magic: The Gathering‘s “Adventures in the Forgotten Realms” cards or the clicker game Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, this would be for a non-D&D game. So this may ultimately be a matter of licensing rights getting a thumbs up from WotC and Hasbro.
Still, the idea of Baldur’s Gate 3 characters entering the world of Vampire Survivors would certainly be an interesting prospect. Could this crossover breathe renewed interest for both games? Would Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro approve of the crossover?
