Every day brings news of another video game becoming a TV series, but this one is important. The company that owns Dungeons & Dragons, Wizards of the Coast, said this week that Craig Mazin, the person in charge of HBO’s mixed-review show The Last of Us, will now work on Baldur’s Gate. He plans to keep going with the story from Baldur’s Gate 3 for television. Larian Studios made this fantasy role-playing game, and many people love it a lot. Fans reacted quickly to the announcement, with strong opinions that are not all good. People at Eurogamer have been talking about it too in our group chat. That sparked this week’s Big Question. If you are new here, this is where we discuss a hot topic from recent gaming news and then ask for your views. Here we go!
Craig Mazin first got famous in 2019 for his prize-winning HBO mini-series about Chernobyl. That gave hope to fans of The Last of Us when they heard he would turn Naughty Dog’s game into a TV show. The first season in 2023 got great reviews and made a lot of money. But season two has gotten more mixed feedback. And now, what was meant to be four seasons might end after three. So Mazin bringing his name to the Baldur’s Gate TV project has some issues attached, fair or not. It does not help that Larian Studios will only talk with Mazin and not join the show. People are very split on this news.
For Eurogamer’s Connor Makar, the whole idea is not good. He says the HBO series seems to follow the main ending of Baldur’s Gate 3 closely, like what happens to the companions later. That will upset many fans who saw a different future because they made other choices. They will not see their own version of Baldur’s Gate on screen. Connor feels the same way.
He gives an example. For him, Karlach turns into a squid. There was some romance, but when he saw the squid head in the ending, he knew it would not work. So in his mind, she is out there sad and covered in ink. He bets the show will not show her that way. She will be her usual red self that fans like. That will make his Baldur’s Gate story not real. It will do the same for yours! To him, that is bad.
Bertie from Eurogamer also spent a lot of time making Baldur’s Gate 3 his own way. He first hated the HBO news. But he is warming up a little. He woke up not liking it, he says, but now he feels better. Wizards of the Coast owns Baldur’s Gate now and can do what they want. Larian finished their part and is working on a new game like Divinity. They went separate ways. Bertie loves Baldur’s Gate 3 and wants to protect it, but he knows business will not stop for his feelings. Wizards did not pick someone bad like Jerry Bruckheimer. Mazin is a better choice overall.
Bertie feels better because Mazin seems like a real fan. He has played Baldur’s Gate 3 for 1000 hours, way more than Bertie, who calls himself a nerd. Bertie wonders how he has time, maybe he should have fixed The Last of Us season two. But anyway, it shows Mazin likes the game and cares. Talking with Larian also shows he will not ruin Baldur’s Gate.
Some people question picking Mazin. I asked Victoria Phillips Kennedy from Eurogamer, a big fan of The Last of Us game and show. How does she feel about Mazin doing Baldur’s Gate 3? She was a bit surprised. His Chernobyl and The Last of Us are set in rough, real worlds. Baldur’s Gate 3 is full of wild fantasy like dragons, magic, mind flayers, and chaos.
Still, she says, no one can doubt his skill. She thought the first season of The Last of Us was perfect. Season two is okay but not as good. So she hopes he does well with Baldur’s Gate 3 and respects what fans love. She knows Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann helped with The Last of Us, and missing Larian hurts. But Druckmann did not do Chernobyl, and that is one of the best shows in years.
Bertie thinks there is reason to get excited despite doubts this early. Secretly, he is looking forward to seeing the Baldur’s Gate world in shiny TV detail. It is not just from Baldur’s Gate 3. It is a Dungeons & Dragons world built over many years by many people. There are big chances to create here. It is a huge playground full of details.
I am not the best to give an opinion here. I only played a couple hours of Baldur’s Gate 3. And I do not think much of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us. But I agree with Bertie. The best parts of Mazin’s first season of The Last of Us were when it did not stick too close to the game. When it went its own way outside the lines. So I wonder what Mazin, a good writer and fan, can do in this bigger world without tight rules. As Bertie says, Where Mazin takes the series, who knows. But the 2023 Dungeons & Dragons movie Honour Among Thieves showed there can be fun in it.
Now that we shared our thoughts, it is your turn. Do you think making more of Baldur’s Gate 3 story on TV is pointless and wrong? It cannot please fans who all have their own special game memories. Does no Larian help worry you? Or has Mazin earned trust, and are you happy to see him create new stories in this big world? Will you watch? That is The Big Question, now it is up to you!
