It’s no secret that Wizards of the Coast and Larian Studios didn’t exactly part on good terms after the release and successful launch of Baldur’s Gate 3. The signs are evident—Larian Studios had already begun early production for Baldur’s Gate 4, only to suddenly cancel the project. While the exact reasons remain undisclosed, it’s reasonable to assume that monetary disagreements or corporate interference played a role.

After all, Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke made a scathing speech during the Game Developers Choice Awards, where he openly criticized corporate greed and its detrimental impact on creativity.

A screenshot from the trailer of Baldur’s Gate 3 – YouTube, GameSpot

He stated, “Greed has been f**king this whole thing up for so long, since I started. I’ve been fighting publishers my entire life, and I keep on seeing the same, same, same mistakes over and over and over.”

If we read between the lines, this could very well have been a subtle message aimed at their former partners, Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro, possibly hinting at why Larian chose not to develop a sequel despite the immense success and acclaim of Baldur’s Gate 3.

It’s worth remembering that Swen Vincke was the backbone of the Baldur’s Gate 3 project. There have been long-standing rumors that Wizards of the Coast had little idea what to do with the Baldur’s Gate IP. Initially, they reportedly showed minimal interest and only handed it to Larian as a quick cash grab. However, once Baldur’s Gate 3 became one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed video games—at least in the eyes of many—Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro seemingly began interfering in future plans, asserting more control over the decision-making process.

A screenshot from the trailer of Baldur’s Gate 3 – YouTube, GameSpot

This ultimately removed Larian from a position of near-total creative freedom, which had been key to Baldur’s Gate 3’s success.

As the saying goes: the moment money shows up, everyone wants to be in charge.

Did Wizards of the Coast Just Doom Baldur’s Gate 4?

After Larian Studios ended its relationship with Wizards of the Coast and reportedly moved on to develop its own new IP—rumored to be a sci-fi RPG—Wizards of the Coast began looking for new developers for its Baldur’s Gate sequel. But from what we’ve gathered, that process didn’t last long, as it seems they decided in the end—along with Hasbro, probably—to create a subsidiary game studio, Skeleton Key, and have Baldur’s Gate 4 developed in-house.

Now, of course, it’s not confirmed that Skeleton Key will be the studio developing Baldur’s Gate 4, but let’s not kid around.

Archetype Entertainment, another subsidiary studio, is already developing a game called Exodus, a sci-fi action-adventure role-playing game. As such, there seems to be very little chance that any studio other than Skeleton Key will be the ones to develop the Baldur’s Gate sequel.

A screenshot from the trailer of Baldur’s Gate 3 – YouTube, GameSpot

Yet here’s the dilemma: the people who have been hired into this company might not be the best team for Baldur’s Gate.

As we all know, BioWare—a once-great video game studio—went on to make Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which was an abysmal game for the Dragon Age franchise, both among gamers and in terms of sales.

The numbers speak for themselves.

It was led by Corinne Busche, the game director at BioWare, a self-described advocate of DEI who also pushed for top surgery scars in video games, something Busche also implemented in The Sims 4 while working for Maxis.

The game was a financial disaster, although, according to rumors, an expected disaster by EA.

Nevertheless, these decisions didn’t sit well with fans of the franchise, which was clearly reflected in the sales. Busche was recently hired by Skeleton Key, according to leaks first reported by Grummz and SmashJT. To make matters worse, Bushce was hired not just as a developer, but as a game director.

Corinne Busche’s name listed under the Skeleton Key team – Photo Credit: SmashJT

So, of course, rumors began swirling that the director of Veilguard is indeed going to work on Baldur’s Gate 4.

That means potentially the person widely seen as responsible for Dragon Age’s demise is now in a position to influence Baldur’s Gate 4. Many fear that Busche’s involvement could act like an unchecked cancer—spreading damage until another beloved franchise succumbs.

The Veilguard Team Is Back—And They Might Be Making Baldur’s Gate 4

After the failed launch of The Veilguard, how could Wizards of the Coast and Skeleton Key even consider Corinne Busche?

Well, here’s the thing, many of these self-described DEI advocates within gaming consider Baldur’s Gate 3 a DEI game, even though for many gamers, it isn’t.

Dragon Age Director Corinne Busche – YouTube, Smash JT

It’s an RPG with almost unprecedented choice within its world, but choices that make sense and are authentically presented as part of the world Larian created in-game. There is no real lecturing about real-world politics within its fantasy setting, and Baldur’s Gate 3 never had any forced messaging that made it feel like a propaganda piece—unlike The Veilguard.

We mustn’t also forget that The Veilguard was well-received by critics and mainstream gaming journalists as a “great” game. IGN gave it an absurd 9 out of 10—the same score as Ghost of Tsushima. Yet, as gamers clearly demonstrated, The Veilguard didn’t deserve that score. The flood of YouTube reviewers and players giving their own ratings made the disparity in judgment painfully obvious.

Then, there’s the fact that Wizards of the Coast has been on a mission to rebrand D&D, changing the origins and behaviors of orcs, removing so-called “stereotypical tropes,” and essentially pacifying the universe of Dungeons & Dragons to fit a sanitized, corporate-approved narrative. Beyond that, they have also made efforts to race-swap classic white characters, rewrite historical elements of the game world to fit modern DEI initiatives, and label any form of criticism as “racist,” effectively shutting down dissent.

A screenshot from Dragon Age: The Veilguard (2024), BioWare

With all this in mind, it’s clear what kind of people Wizards of the Coast wants to work with—those who embrace the ideology of toxic positivity and DEI-driven content.

So is it really a surprise that Corinne Busche, the game director of an RPG fantasy game hailed as the pinnacle of “woke gaming” and celebrated with GLOWING reviews from legacy media (sarcasm fully intended), is viewed by these particular powers that be as the perfect choice to lead Baldur’s Gate 4?

After all, from their perspective, Baldur’s Gate 3 was a massive success, and The Veilguard was (in their minds) an equally “fantastic” game. So why not bring in the “perfect” person to carry on the franchise? In their world, this is an obvious win.

Of course, not only did they hire Busche, but they also brought in a slew of other former BioWare developers, many of whom had worked on The Veilguard at one point, to build the Skeleton Key team. So why NOT have the “brilliant” minds behind The Veilguard take charge of Baldur’s Gate 4? (Yes, that’s still sarcasm.)

A screenshot from the trailer of Baldur’s Gate 3 – YouTube, GameSpot

Ignore the poor sales. Ignore the so-called “bigoted” majority of gamers (90% of them, apparently) who rejected The Veilguard. Clearly, in Wizards of the Coast’s mind, this team deserves to fail upwards. After all, who doesn’t want Baldur’s Gate 4: The Veilguard Saga?

“We do!” says Wizards of the Coast.

But I fear that their legendary woke gamble will be nothing more than a brutal wake-up call once it hits stores.

How do you feel about the Veilguard team getting their hands on Baldur’s Gate 4? Sound off in the comments and let us know!