Over 10 years ago, Larian Studios took to Kickstarter to help fund Divinity Original Sin, and now, 10 years later, the developer boasts one of the most successful games of all time on Steam. Two days after its launch on August 3, Baldur’s Gate 3 peaked at 712,281 concurrent players. This number is even more impressive considering the game is a CRPG, which some might consider to be quite niche. Clearly that might not be the case anymore.
One thing is for sure, Larian Studios is proving that shipping a complete game that is full of content, no microtransactions, and no live service features can still prove extremely popular and highly successful in 2023. And to think, Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t even released on PlayStation 5 yet, that comes on September 6.
Unfortunately, that 712,281 figure isn’t good enough to make Baldur’s Gate 3 the biggest launch of the year on Steam. That honor still goes to Hogwarts Legacy, which peaked at 879,308 players during its launch window. However, one could argue that the IP and general gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy appeal to a broader range of players than a Dungeons & Dragons CRPG does.
I had previously said that the first half of 2023 was the best six months of gaming I’ve ever experienced, but the second half of 2023 seems likely to be just as impressive, if not more so. This year will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the best years of gaming, but it might just be the best for some people when all is said and done.
