Larian Studios has revealed during a recent livestream that its upcoming RPG Baldur's Gate III will enter into early access on September 30th on both Stadia and PC (Steam). This livestream was called Panel From Hell and is about an hour and a half long, so goes into excruciating detail of what's to be expected in the first chapter of the planned early access release. So we now know that there will be five playable Origin characters to choose from during early access, such as Astarion (Elf/Vampire Rogue), Gale (Human Wizard), Lae’zel (Githyanki Warrior), Shadowheart (Half-Elf Cleric), and Wyll (Human Warlock).

Above, you can watch the hour-and-a-half Panel from Hell live stream to get a better idea of what Larian will bring to the table when Baldur's Gate III lands in early access on Stadia this September. For those that don't want to watch just to find out where the game takes place, it's revealed that you'll begin your journey in Avernus (the first layer of the Nine Hells) to deal with the aftermath of a cataclysmic event that saw the city dragged into hell.

In celebration of the early access announcement for Baldur's Gate III, a new trailer for the game has also been revealed, which you can watch above. The entire video is cinematic, so no gameplay is shown, but boy howdy is this an exciting trailer, so make sure to give it a watch.

Oh, and if you're familiar with Larian's earlier work, it has also been revealed that BG3 will offer a much broader scope than Divinity: Original Sin 2, seeing that everything from dialogue to combat has significantly expanded.

  • Amount of combats: 22 in DOS2 EA vs 80 in BG3 EA
  • Amount of dialogue lines in english: 17.600 in DOS2 EA vs. 45.980 in BG3 EA
  • Amount of characters: 142 in DOS2 EA vs. 596 in BG3 EA
  • Amount of spells/actons: 69 in DOS2 EA vs. 146 in BG3 EA

As you can see, BG3 is going to be massive compared to the studio's previous CRPGs like Divinity: Original Sin 2, and that was a big game in its own right. So while we still don't know when Baldur's Gate III will be officially launched, Larian has at least confirmed when early access will take place, and yes, Stadia users will be able to jump in, just like their PC brethren. So if you're a Stadia user and are eager to get your hands on Baldur's Gate III as early as possible, it looks like September 30th is the date to mark on your calendar. Everyone that takes part in this early access will be able to play through the first act, which definitely shows Larian is confident with the state of its game since most devs shy away from lengthy reveals before release.

Source: YouTube, (1)

PRESS RELEASE

UPDATE: 2020/09/23 11:04am PDT BY MATTHEW SHOLTZ

Larian Studios announce Baldur's Gate 3 early access will now start Oct. 6th

This past August (2020), we learned that the much anticipated CRPG Baldur's Gate 3 would be coming to Stadia as an early access release at the end of September. Well, Larian Studios just tweeted that this early access is now delayed a week, with the expected arrival now planned for October 6th.

Funnily enough, Larian has a good sense of humor about this delay, having changed its Twitter name to Baldur's Late. While this delay was unexpected, Larian has made it a point to guarantee the early access version of the game will indeed arrive on the 6th, and that the studio will reveal how romance and companionship work in the game later today. So make sure to keep an eye on Larian's Twitter feed.

Source: Twitter

UPDATE: 2020/10/06 11:29am PDT BY MATTHEW SHOLTZ

Baldur's Gate 3 is now available in early access

After last week's delay, Baldur's Gate 3 is finally available in early access on Stadia. Those that have a Stadia account can find the game right here, and you can claim you copy for $59.99. That's right, Larian Studios would like you to pay them to test their early access release, and there's no doubt plenty of fans will be eager to jump at the chance since they'll retain ownership of the title after early access ends. Interestingly, Google has made it clear that Crowd Choice is available for this specific release, a new feature where streamers can easily engage with their fans. 

Of course, since this is an early access release, players can expect upgrades and refinements as development progresses, and supposedly these updates will come to Stadia in a timely fashion, though games like Marvel's Avengers have proven this isn't always the case. So here's hoping Larian is a bit more responsive than Crystal Dynamics when it comes to keeping its game up to date on all platforms.

So if you're eager to get your hands on Baldur's Gate 3, today's the day you can finally jump into the CRPG's early access.

Source: Stadia