No one has the formula for success. Making a game work is a combination of doing a good job, having great marketing and getting the attention of an audience for whom it’s impossible to know what it is that will make your game stand out from the rest. That’s why sometimes the biggest successes come from the most unexpected places. For example, from sequels that have been waiting 23 years to finally reach our computers.
That has been the case with Baldur’s Gate 3. Released on August 3 for PC via Steam, with a PlayStation 5 release announced for September 6 and an Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X release likely no sooner than 2024, the game has been a resounding success. So much so that the only game that has surpassed its figures to date is Hogwarts Legacy.
Let’s put it in context. According to information from SteamDB, Steam’s independent tracker, the peak number of people playing Baldur’s Gate 3 at the same time on the day of its release is 427,000 people. An absolutely dizzying figure that, as we have already said, does not reach the numbers that Hogwarts Legacy did: 879,308 people.
Now, it is important to understand this in context. Where Hoghwargt Legacy is a more casual game, intended for a general audience, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a niche game intended for a more hardcore audience. In other words, while the figures of the former are impressive, so are those of the latter because, in any case, they are not the figures typical of a game of this style.
Playing the game, it’s easy to understand why these numbers. In addition to being a cult saga, developed by a studio that has proven to be able to nail the traditional isometric RPG style with a modern style, it feels like a true continuation of the previous two games in the franchise, with amazing mechanics and a gripping narrative. Something that makes Baldur’s Gate 3 one of the clearest GOTY contenders of the year. If not in one of the games called to be remembered in the years to come.
Some of the links added in the article are part of affiliate campaigns and may represent benefits for Softonic.
