Why I’m lamenting the reported Baldur’s Gate 3 TV show

As reported by Deadline, US entertainment network HBO is reportedly developing a Baldur’s Gate 3 TV show titled ‘Baldur’s Gate’, set after the world-altering ending of Larian Studios’ highly acclaimed RPG based on Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition.

The showrunner behind Chernobyl and The Last of Us, Craig Mazin, is set to take the reins of the show, with the story reportedly following both new characters and existing ones from Baldur’s Gate 3.

The series will reportedly draw heavy inspiration from the source material of Baldur’s Gate 3 and not so much from the first two Baldur’s Gate games.

“I am a devoted fan of DnD and the brilliant way that [Baldur’s Gate 3 director] Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it,” said Mazin.

“I can’t wait to help bring Baldur’s Gate and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can,” he continued.

“I’m deeply grateful to Gabe Marano and his team at Hasbro for entrusting me with this incredibly important property.”

Vincke attempted to weather a social media storm on X (formerly Twitter), which broke out as a result of the reports. He made comments that mention how Mazin is reaching out to consult him on the project.

“The endings of BG3 were created so they could serve as narrative soil for new adventures. There’s plenty of directions they could go,” Vincke begins.

“I’m eager to find out which ones Craig and his team will pick. He’s reached out for a chat so we’ll have the opportunity to tell him our thoughts.”

The fact that Vincke is only now being consulted on the project in itself is raising some alarm bells. Despite ongoing concerns about Larian Studios’ upcoming Divinity project, the team that developed Baldur’s Gate 3 evidently had a deep understanding of the open-ended storytelling, which gives Dungeons and Dragons its decades-long appeal.

What in the seven hells were you thinking

For those who believe this will turn out well, I deeply commend your optimism. The world of Baldur’s Gate 3 holds just as many stories as there are Dungeons and Dragons (DnD) campaigns (and that’s an uncountable amount). 

I would struggle to sit through a Baldur’s Gate 3 show, knowing how many of those stories will never be told or how many choices could never be made. 

A television show, by its very nature, is a one-way street where the audience plays a passive role. This passivity is at complete odds with the spirit of DnD, which thrives due to its inherent interactivity and emphasis on player agency. 

Baldur’s Gate 3 expertly captures the spirit of Dungeons and Dragons in a video game. Even the smallest choices have tangible, often drastic consequences on the narrative, relationships between characters, and the state of the world of Faerûn and the world as a whole.

Giving Baldur’s Gate 3 a canon ending is also a concerning prospect. Without going into detail, setting up this show after the events of Baldur’s Gate 3 means choosing between vastly different states of the world, disregarding all the choices that players made to reach their chosen ending.

While I don’t doubt that a TV show would provide a wealth of new characters to grow attached to in its new party of adventurers, I’m sceptical that the medium of television will do justice to Baldur’s Gate 3. I sincerely hope that I’m somehow proven wrong.