Anna Guxens On Baldur's Gate III: "Winning Awards Was Beyond Our Expectations"

Upon its full release last summer, Baldur's Gate III heralded a groundbreaking shift in the contemporary gaming landscape. At The Game Awards, it was hailed as Game of the Year and served as an entry point for many into the world of Western turn-based RPGs. With its compelling story and the significant impact of each decision made by players, the game captured the affection of its audience.

At the BIG Conference held in December, Gamereactor had the pleasure of discussing the recent accolades and development experiences with Anna Guxens, the senior RPG designer from Larian Studios.

Guxens reflected on the team's mindset during the game's creation: "There were moments in development when we doubted our chances of winning awards. We recognized areas needing enhancement and pushed ourselves to elevate our work. That drive, fuelled by the enjoyment we saw in our players, was a powerful motivator."

She humbly shared insights into her role, attributing the game's strong narrative and character depth to the collaborative efforts across different development teams. "As RPG designers, we're involved in shaping extensive regions of the game from the outset. We craft the storylines, encounters, and playable scenarios within these regions, supervising them right through to completion, collaborating with other teams to ensure engaging and enjoyable when finally experienced by players."

Guxens praised the Larian writing team for creating authentic, engaging, and entertaining characters. When delving into character design and integration into the main storyline, Guxens emphasized a unique approach within the team.

"Each writer is responsible for their characters, providing consistency and authenticity in how they're portrayed throughout the game. The writers' deep connection to their characters affords them creative liberty to suggest novel and entertaining ideas, which we often enthusiastically embrace by asking, 'Can we add this? Can we try that?' And more often than not, we go for it!"