Larian Studio’s Director of Publishing Michael Douse warned players not to pre-order Baldur’s Gate 3 at this time. While it might sound odd for a publisher to warn players against buying its game early, Douse explains that those pre-orders are not sanctioned by Larian Studios.
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Douse said that the obvious signs that the pre-orders may not be upheld are evident. Larian’s upcoming RPG currently has no official price or full release date despite Baldur’s Gate 3 launching in early access this month. Douse made it clear that the game “won’t have a pre-order period” and that the studio has had no plans for either retail or third party distribution. With this in mind, Douse makes it clear that Larian cannot guarantee that any of these pre-orders will be honored by the sellers.
Douse’s specific reference to both retail and third-party distributors is likely to make it clear that traditional key sellers do not have access to the usual methods of reselling game codes. Websites like G2A and Kinguin have long been criticized for the practice of reselling keys often found in physical copies of PC games. It was earlier this year that G2A was caught selling stolen game keys following years of questionable practices.
Larian’s director of publishing did elaborate further on the more complex situation with regards to purchases through third-party websites. Douse notes that he has no issue with key selling websites, but makes it clear that it is unlikely for any such website to have access to keys for Baldur’s Gate 3. These websites are not privy to either the price or release date of Baldur’s Gate 3, which could lead to buyers paying an inflated rate.
While it might seem obvious for fans to hold out until official information is provided, many fans of the Baldur’s Gate franchise are incredibly eager to return to the world. Beyond the namesake of the third numbered title in the Baldur’s Gate series, the involvement of Larian Studios has further fueled the excitement.
Larian is considered one of the best developers to handle CRPGs in recent years. The rumor that Larian would develop Baldur’s Gate 3 drove much of the fanfare for the long-awaited sequel. So while fans might be frothing at the chance for a more in-depth fantasy RPG, waiting for more information is the safest idea right now.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is scheduled to release into early access in August 2020 for Stadia and Steam.
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