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The Bhaalspawn are back, baby! According to a recent article from PC Gaming, Wizards of the Coast is planning to remake the Baldur’s Gate 1 and Baldur’s Gate 2 video games, which were first released in 1998 and 2000. The project is reportedly being overseen by Kevin Martens, who was one of the original lead designers on BG2 and more recently has been working with WotC on the upcoming Exodus video game.
It’s not clear what platforms the games will be available on and when they’ll be released, but the news isn’t surprising given the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 and the confirmation from Wizards of the Coast that a BG4 is coming at some point the future. Below, we take a closer look at everything we know so far.
What are the original Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 video games about?
The original Baldur’s Gate video game takes place in the Forgotten Realms and is focused on Bhaal, the former God of Murder who was killed during the Time of Troubles. In the first game, players take on the role of a seemingly ordinary orphan raised in the fortress-library of Candlekeep. After your foster father, Gorion, is mysteriously murdered, you are thrust into a conspiracy involving an iron shortage and regional warfare across the Sword Coast, eventually discovering that you are a “Bhaalspawn” (a mortal being carrying a fragment of the dead god’s divine essence).
Baldur’s Gate 2: Shadows of Amn picks up the story, with players once again taking on the role of the character known as Gorion’s Ward. Captured and tortured by the sinister, power-hungry elven mage Jon Irenicus, you must journey across the western nation of Amn, descend into the drow-infested depths of the Underdark, and eventually venture into the Nine Hells to reclaim your soul and decide whether to embrace or reject your dark divine heritage.
Developed by BioWare and published by Black Isle Studios, the original Baldur’s Gate debuted in 1998, quickly followed by its sequel Shadows of Amn in 2000. Both titles were released primarily on PC and Mac, and were almost universally praised by both critics and fans the games for their complex tactical mechanics (which used the AD&D 2nd edition rule set), sprawling narrative and unique characters (including introducing now-iconic heroes like Minsc and Boo).
Over the years, the games have achieved cult status, eventually receiving “Enhanced Edition” remasters by the studio Beamdog in the 2010s, which expanded accessibility to modern platforms including iOS, Android, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch. The success of these early games also lead to the direct release of Baldur’s Gate 3, which was developed by Larian Studios and released on PC, Mac and consoles in 2023.
What are the Baldur’s Gate remakes?
According to the PC Gamer article, it’s highly likely that both Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 are getting the remake treatment, given how closely the games are in terms of their development, base code, gameplay and narrative.
The project will be overseen byKevin Martens, a former BioWare developer and the original Baldur’s Gate 2 co-lead designer. Martens boasts an impressive industry CV, having previously served in lead design roles for Throne of Bhaal, Jade Empire, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect and Blizzard’s Diablo 3.
It’s not clear what the gameplay and visuals will be like or how they’ll differ from past iterations. In fact, video game developer Beamdog previously put together several well-received, high-definition remasters. So the bar is fairly high for what to expect and what these remakes will offer that we haven’t already seen before.
When Will the Baldur’s Gate Remakes Come Out?
Currently, there is no official word on a release window, and the projects could still be several years away. As a modern comparison, it took developer Virtuos four full years to pull off Oblivion Remastered, which trended heavily toward remake territory rather than just a simple enhanced edition.
Wizards of the Coast, however, is likely to move as quickly as possible, given that the company is looking to continue to capitalize on the runaway success of BG3. Video games also continue to be a major focus for the company, which has several projects in the works, but has yet to find success and his hit a few roadblocks, including the recent cancellation of a new D&D video game from studio Giant Skull. So getting a much needed win (and some much needed revenue) is likely going to drive the project.
Final Thoughts
The decision to remake Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2 feels like a smart move on the part of Wizards of the Coast. Baldur’s Gate 4 is likely at least five years or more away from seeing the light of day, and interest (and licensing profits) from BG3 are waning. By tapping into the existing foundation BioWare’s original Baldur’s Gate games, WotC can keep momentum going and buy time for the future of the franchise. Of course, when it comes to video game development nothing is certain, at it remains to be seen as to whether or not any fresh Bhaalspawn are in the cards.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story in the days ahead and will update this page with new information as it’s made available.
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Jason Volkis the Publisher of Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics and lives in the wilds of Western Canada. He has been playing D&D for over 25 years and is a huge fan of Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms. His favorite character of all time was a Necromancer named Neek who spent most of his adventuring career resurrecting the corpses of slain monsters. When he’s not playing TTRPGs, Jason enjoys video games, Magic: The Gathering, Warhammer 40K, watching football and spending time with his wife and adorably nerdy children. Follow him on Bluesky or on Instagram
