Discover the Exciting Twists and Turns of Baldur’s Gate 3, Defying PC Gaming Norms!

Highlights

Baldur's Gate 3 is highly praised by RPG fans and offers a captivating fantasy world experience that will keep players engaged for years.

The adoption of a launcher model by the game is indicative of a concerning pattern in the PC gaming industry. This trend sees a growing number of studios developing their own launchers, which ultimately hinders the seamless gaming experience for players. Although launchers may not profoundly disrupt gameplay, they are often seen as bothersome and superfluous, as evidenced by the example of Baldur's Gate 3's launcher. This additional component introduces unnecessary steps for players to access the game.

Baldur's Gate 3's release from early access has exceeded the expectations of RPG enthusiasts. It is being hailed as one of the greatest RPGs ever made, and players are likely to find themselves immersed in its fantasy realm for years to come. The accomplishment of Larian Studios in developing this game is truly impressive, and hopefully, this is only the beginning of what they have in store. While this feedback is overwhelmingly positive, it should be noted that Baldur's Gate 3 has also embraced a concerning trend in PC gaming.

In recent times, there has been a significant push towards digital game purchases, and PC games have largely been exclusive to digital platforms for many years. This shift to digital games brings along with it the need for game launchers, seemingly for every single game. Although these launchers do not significantly impair the gaming experience, they can prove to be quite bothersome for players who simply wish to jump straight into their favorite games. Unfortunately, Baldur's Gate 3 appears to be following suit in this regard, but this practice should be reconsidered.

Baldur's Gate 3 Did Not Need a Launcher

Valve's Steam was originally intended to be the dominant game launcher for PC users, with numerous games exclusively launching on its platform and seamlessly integrating with its social features. This seamless integration has contributed to Steam's current status as a massive platform and an essential component of any gamer's collection. It is highly likely that Steam will remain the primary choice for PC gamers in the foreseeable future, although there have been some recent developments that have made the experience slightly less seamless.

Although digital storefronts such as Steam and Battle.net have been around for quite some time, it seems that nearly every major game studio now wants a share of this market. Ubisoft introduced Ubisoft Connect, EA developed the EA app, Microsoft focused on the Xbox app, Epic aimed to rival Steam with the Epic Game Store, and even studios like Paradox have decided to create their own launchers. While most of these launchers cannot compete with Steam's popularity, their existence has occasionally made the process of launching Steam games slightly inconvenient.

Steam users who want to access games from studios such as Ubisoft face the inconvenience of having to launch two different launchers. By clicking "play" on Steam, Ubisoft Connect is initiated, followed by the game itself. This not only necessitates the installation of two separate launchers and the creation of distinct accounts, but also results in additional waiting time before gameplay can commence. Surprisingly, even renowned studios like Paradox have imposed this requirement on players, and the number of launchers continues to increase each year.

Despite being an exceptional RPG, the inclusion of this launcher system by Larian Studios for Baldur's Gate 3 has unfortunately compromised the seamless experience on PC. Upon clicking "play," players are required to first launch the new Larian Studios launcher before they can enter the game. This launcher not only provides access to Larian Studios' major titles, but also offers news updates, links to forums and feedback pages, and even a merchandise store. Furthermore, players must create a unique account for this launcher in order to utilize features like Cross Save.

Steam was originally created to eliminate the hassle of dealing with multiple launchers in order to play games. However, it appears that this convenience is slowly changing. While these additional launchers may not be harmful, they can be bothersome and unnecessary. The presence of a launcher for Baldur's Gate 3 feels odd, as the game does not require one. Although it can be easily disabled through Steam, its initial existence seems unjustified.

Baldur's Gate 3 is currently accessible on PC, with a release planned for PS5 on September 6, followed by an Xbox launch.