🚨 BREAKING: HBO’s DROOL-WORTHY Baldur’s Gate 3 TV SERIES is HERE—led by The Last of Us GENIUS Craig Mazin! 😱 Epic tadpole battles, Astarion’s smirks, Karlach’s rage… ALL coming to YOUR screen!
But hold up… LARIAN—the CREATORS who made BG3 a 20-MILLION-COPY LEGEND—GOT TOTALLY SIDELINED! 😤 Swen Vincke’s “cool” but devs are READY to CRASH OUT on main. Will HBO butcher our fave characters? Pick ONE canon ending from THOUSANDS? Fans are RAGING— this could be TLOU magic or a FANTASY FLOP of the century!
The INSANE catch that might DESTROY it all… 👇 READ EVERY JUICY DETAIL BELOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE! 🔥
HBO is diving headfirst into the world of Dungeons & Dragons with a hotly anticipated live-action adaptation of the iconic Baldur’s Gate video game franchise, tapping The Last of Us mastermind Craig Mazin to lead the charge. Announced just days ago, the series promises to pick up right where the smash-hit Baldur’s Gate 3 left off, thrusting viewers into a post-apocalyptic fantasy realm teeming with tadpoles, mind flayers, and morally gray heroes. But as excitement builds, a massive roadblock looms: the complete exclusion of Larian Studios, the Belgian powerhouse behind BG3’s unprecedented success.
The news, first broken by Variety and quickly echoed across gaming outlets, marks HBO’s latest foray into video game adaptations following the critical and commercial triumph of The Last of Us. That series, co-created by Mazin and Neil Druckmann, racked up 30 Emmy nominations and drew over 30 million viewers for its premiere episode, proving that pixelated tales could conquer prestige television. Now, Mazin—fresh off wrapping production on The Last of Us Season 3—is set to reprise his alchemy, serving as showrunner, writer, executive producer, and creative visionary for the untitled Baldur’s Gate project.
“Baldur’s Gate 3,” released in 2023 by Larian Studios, shattered records en route to becoming the first video game to sweep all five major Game of the Year awards at outlets like the Game Awards, BAFTA, and D.I.C.E. It has sold over 20 million copies, with players logging billions of hours in its sprawling, choice-driven narrative set in the Forgotten Realms of Dungeons & Dragons. The game’s brilliance lay in its branching storylines—nearly 17,000 unique endings based on player decisions—featuring a ragtag party of companions like the vampire spawn Astarion, the tiefling barbarian Karlach, the githyanki warrior Lae’zel, and the enigmatic cleric Shadowheart. These characters, voiced by a star-studded cast including Neil Newbon (Astarion) and Samantha Béart (Shadowheart), became cultural icons, spawning memes, fan art, and endless romance debates.
The HBO series will canonize one of those endings, exploring the aftermath as returning characters grapple with the consequences of their tadpole-infested adventures, joined by fresh faces in uncharted D&D lore. Mazin, a self-proclaimed “devoted D&D fan” and Dungeon Master who poured nearly 1,000 hours into BG3, gushed about the opportunity: “After putting nearly 1000 hours into the incredible world of ‘Baldur’s Gate 3,’ it is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that Larian and Wizards of The Coast created… I can’t wait to help bring ‘Baldur’s Gate’ and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can.”
HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi echoed the enthusiasm: “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Craig Mazin on ‘Baldur’s Gate.’ His deep and long-standing passion for the source material paired with his remarkable talent for building immersive worlds filled with rich, compelling characters promises groundbreaking results.” Hasbro Entertainment president Gabriel Marano, whose company owns the IP through subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, added that fans have been clamoring for this adaptation, calling Mazin an “incomparable” partner.
Yet, the project’s momentum hit a wall with the revelation that Larian Studios—the very team that resurrected the 25-year-old franchise with BG3—has no formal role in the production. Larian licensed the Baldur’s Gate IP from Wizards of the Coast rather than owning it outright, leaving Hasbro free to greenlight the show without their input. This “snub,” as some fans dubbed it, ignited immediate backlash online, with X (formerly Twitter) lighting up over fears that HBO might butcher the nuanced characters and player agency that defined the game.
Larian CEO Swen Vincke struck an optimistic tone in a lengthy X post, celebrating the announcement as validation of his team’s efforts: “The endings of BG3 were created so they could serve as narrative soil for new adventures.” He revealed that Mazin had “reached out for a chat,” hinting at potential consultation on which endings and choices to adapt. Vincke expressed eagerness to see HBO match BG3’s “passion.”
Not all at Larian were as measured. Publishing director Michael Douse, a veteran of the studio, fired off a passionate defense of his writers: “I’ve spent the last eight to 10 years of my life with the writers & creators of Baldur’s Gate 3 and they’re the most incredible storytellers & creators in the space… I genuinely don’t think anyone can trump our writers.” He urged fans not to “abandon hope, but do expect the world,” while alluding to staff threats to “crash out on main”—slang for a public meltdown over the exclusion. Douse emphasized crediting Larian’s “fierce camaraderie” and hoping for faithful character portrayals.
Fans amplified the drama, flooding social media with doomsaying. “Not sure if I trust anyone other than Larian with those characters,” one X user lamented. Another blasted: “No involvement from Larian and Craig Mazin is crazy.” Concerns centered on canonizing a single ending—potentially sidelining fan-favorite paths like romancing Gale or sparing the Emperor—and fears of “sexified” portrayals, with Astarion reduced to a seductive vampire trope or Karlach’s depth lost in action scenes. Some pointed to The Last of Us Season 2’s divisive changes as a warning sign.
Mazin, however, plans to bridge the gap by courting BG3’s voice actors. Sources indicate he’ll approach talents like Newbon and Béart, much like how he recast Merle Dandridge from the TLOU games. Executive producers Jacqueline Lesko and Cecil O’Connor join Mazin and Marano, signaling a high-caliber team poised to leverage HBO’s $200 million-per-season budgets for mind-blowing effects—think flayer horrors and Netherbrain showdowns in 4K glory.
Comparisons to other adaptations abound. Amazon’s Fallout succeeded partly because Bethesda consulted on the show, while Arcane’s Critical Role ties ensured fidelity. HBO’s track record with TLOU bodes well, but the Larian omission evokes Rings of Power’s lore liberties, which alienated purists. Gaming journalist Vikki Blake advocated “cautious optimism,” citing Mazin’s DM credentials and passion.
As development ramps up—no release date yet, given Mazin’s TLOU commitments—the stakes couldn’t be higher. Baldur’s Gate 3 didn’t just win awards; it redefined RPGs, proving interactive storytelling could rival Tolstoy. Can HBO capture that lightning without the originators? Or will this be another IP cash-grab flop? Vincke’s “narrative soil” metaphor offers hope, but Douse’s gauntlet is thrown: Expect the world, or crash out.
For now, gamers hold their breath. In the Forgotten Realms, one wrong choice spells doom—HBO better roll a nat 20.
