Baldur’s Gate “Legal Hell” Q&A

Last week’s news that Beamdog and Overhaul Games have all but lost their ability to sell Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and continue development of Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition was a surprising and ultimately unfortunate turn of events, and that’s exactly what prompted Rock, Paper, Shotgun to quickly reach out to Trent Oster and quiz the veteran designer about the “contractual bullshit” they’re currently dealing with on the IP.

(The prognosis [for resuming work on Baldur’s Gate] is mixed,) he admitted to RPS. (Best case, we can sort this out soon. Worst case, this could be in legal hell for a while. I like making games, but this contractual dispute bullshit keeps me up at night.)

As a result, the team hasn’t given up on Baldur’s Gate III, but the road to the pie-in-the-sky sequel just got a whole, whole lot rockier.

(Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition is on indefinite hold, as is the current patch,) said Oster. (Baldur’s Gate III, we are still interested in the concept, but currently I’d say were very demoralized.)

That sentiment doesn’t bode particularly well, but Oster and co are trying their hardest to turn things around. For now, Beamdog can’t name which (publishing partner) is hounding it, but it’s fairly safe to assume that they hold some serious sway. You don’t just take down your main moneymaker and slam the breaks on your next over a little squabble, after all.

I’m not sure how much money the Beamdog platform brings in on a regular basis, but I certainly hope it’s enough to keep these guys afloat until this gets worked out.