Has anyone checked if the domain name for Baldursgate3.com is used or reserved by bioware? It appears to be available at the moment; http://www.sedo.co.uk/search/details.php4?domain=baldursgate3.com&language=e&et_sub=23&partnerid=14460&et_cid=13&et_lid=17473&origin=parking but that's just a 2 second google search on my account.

Surely if there was a third one they would buy up the domain name for it.

And a million fanboys squealed with joy before being burned from existence. BioWare is a cruel mistress if not a demon.

Ah yes, the grand honoured tradition among Bioware fans of reading deeper meaning into the slightest message. "There will be no meaningless stat-games in Mass Effect 3" is code for "You will press one button to win"; "The least favourite part of my job is playing games" actually means "I want to strip out all the gameplay and replace it more with anime love plots", and now, a few random lines in the style of old D&D games means a whole new Baldur's Gate game.

If I were a Bioware webmaster, I would only make posts at times whose digits correspond to numbers significant to the Illuminati, purely for shits and giggles.

Interesting, my immediate point would be that the "leak" could very well have started with the devs who put it there, just to make sure someone noticed. Part of how ARGs and similar stunts sells products is by promoting the perception that there is such a fanatical fan base that someone just happened to notice the obscure threads leading to it. It's also why it's so comparitively rare for someone the materials for an ARG to be discovered BEFORE things are finished, which would happen if people were really looking close enough for those obscure first hints to be found in many cases. When they are done, someone in the community "finds" the first step, it goes viral, and usually nobody can point a finger at where specifically it began.

In short, I think this is pretty much Bioware drawing our attention to breadcrumbs. I'd suspect there is an ARG active, or in the works, and that's either an initial key, a hint to something hidden on the site or in it's code, or simple a roundabout way of launching a viral teaser to get fans ready for a more overt event annoucement.

I'll also say that this could be a case of offhanded advertising for another game, with the guys at Turbine hacking into Bioware's site and promoting this, assuming that the shared D&D/Forgotten Realms liscence doesn't give them some kind of contractual access at this point.

Look at it this way, we JUST had it annouced that DDO is going to The Forgotten Realms, a setting with a MUCH larger following than Eberron ever likely had. Something which they are trying to sell $80 pre-order/quickstart packs for. Not too long after we see that annoucement we start seeing teaser about realmslore on the generally forgotten site of what is arguably the most popular Forgotten Realms game of all time (I'm reluctant to say D&D game because of the popularity of Toement and it's enduring fan base, and the qualifier is because I know Neverwinter Nights can be compared to Baldur's Gate in terms of lasting appeal and followers).

Only time will tell, but right now I suspect it's an ARG, odds are it's coming from Bioware, but given that their hands are full, I wouldn't be shocked it if somehow goes back to Turbine given their current liscences.

I'd love a rerelease of the first two on consoles. Enough other franchises are already doing it. I miss those games so but I already have the 360, just gimme the disc. I don't care if it's updated one iota. I just wanna play them again. Though a third installment would be pretty sweet, I likely wouldn't get to play it unless it somehow made its way to consoles, and either way I'd be far more skeptical of games I already know kick ass.

If anything comes of this, I'd rather it be a new game than a rerelease or HD update. Due to the hand drawn environments, the game already looks gorgeous even today(especially today with higher resolutions and the widescreen mod), and any attempt to change the art would just be making it different rather than better. The original also has a host of mods available and that's only going to get better as GemRB(an open source implementation of the Infinity Engine) continues development.

I guess what I'm saying is that I want D&D games to return to the style that Bioware put out in the Infinity Engine days(as opposed to every game that has come out since).

Shamanic Rhythm:
Ah yes, the grand honoured tradition among Bioware fans of reading deeper meaning into the slightest message. "There will be no meaningless stat-games in Mass Effect 3" is code for "You will press one button to win"; "The least favourite part of my job is playing games" actually means "I want to strip out all the gameplay and replace it more with anime love plots", and now, a few random lines in the style of old D&D games means a whole new Baldur's Gate game.

If I were a Bioware webmaster, I would only make posts at times whose digits correspond to numbers significant to the Illuminati, purely for shits and giggles.

It's an old dnd site that was updated really recently, that's why it's news. they could be fucking with us I suppose, but why garner the ill will especially now? now seems like a PERFECT time to announce a sequel to a beloved franchise, to try to turn the hatedom down.

It's a facebook game.

I'm calling it now.

Phred:
This is not Bioware.

1) This is being handled by Beamdog. That means that at best, this is a port.

2) Bioware does not have a license to do any more D&D work. They don't even own any of the characters or any IP outside of the actual engine used to create Baldur's Gate. The game name is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast. I think the only thing EA is allowed to do is port the existing game to other platforms, like what they've done previously.

3) I find it hard to believe people in this day and age still think Faerun, D&D, etc, are owned or controlled by Bioware. Bioware can't make any kind of Baldur's Gate sequel without getting a license--that's why they created Dragon Age, they simply don't own that property and want to own their own IP.

This is true, but since WotC regained the rights to D&D video games(after suing Atari for them), WotC could, should they care to, license a new Baldur's Gate game. Seeing as 4E apparently did not meet Hasbro's sales expectations, and seeing as Baldur's Gate is still a well loved series, I could see WotC licensing the title out to generate some income. Whether that would ultimately be good for us gamers or not is another matter.

I'm going to call bull on this being real. As much as I would love it to be something, the reality is Bioware isn't even that intrested in another Baldurs Gate title.

Relaunching the Bauldur's gate series would be awful. It would go far worse than the syndicate relaunch. I bet EA make Bioware turn Bauldur's gate into a god of war clone or something equally terrible.

Jove:
Sweet mother of Jesus loving God! a BG3...the possibilities...0_0

Please be true! :D

EA owned Bioware here with a beloved IP and a huge fanbase so the appropriate response would be: "Imagine the amount of content witheld to be sold as zero-day DLC and force purchase of the more expensive collectors edition."

Expect a much much much shorter game with less overall content as well.

dragonswarrior:

Robert Ewing:
Please for the love of god let this be true. Please Yahweh, Allah, Buddha, The dark ones, Cthulu, the lords of flame, the old gods, please let it be true.

I love how you pray to every pantheon but the one that holds power in Faerun.

By Mystra, Talos, Bane, Cyric, Helm, Illmater, and, of course, the newest incarnation of Bhaal. Let this... Turn out to be something awesome. I dont care what. Rerelease, sequel, whatever, AS LONG AS IT'S GOOD. It doesn't matter as long as it's good.

Please don't ruing the greatest game ever...

Pfff I only pray to Ao and master!

Phred:
This is not Bioware.

1) This is being handled by Beamdog. That means that at best, this is a port.

2) Bioware does not have a license to do any more D&D work. They don't even own any of the characters or any IP outside of the actual engine used to create Baldur's Gate. The game name is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast. I think the only thing EA is allowed to do is port the existing game to other platforms, like what they've done previously.

3) I find it hard to believe people in this day and age still think Faerun, D&D, etc, are owned or controlled by Bioware. Bioware can't make any kind of Baldur's Gate sequel without getting a license--that's why they created Dragon Age, they simply don't own that property and want to own their own IP.

Still, wasn't Beamdog made from ex Bioware staff? Perhaps ones that decided to jump ship or just felt the need for a change? If it's being made by them, then this could be to Baldur's Gate what Obsidian's New Vegas was to Fallout: bringing it back to its roots.

As much as I love the Baldur's Gate series, and I really really do, it's over. Done. Baldur's Gate 2 ended with Throne of Bhall, it was a fantastic ending as well that brought plenty of closure to the saga's story.

Sometimes it's best to just let something end.

Not that I really think there's any sort of Baldur's Gate 3 in the works. Honestly I expect some sort of official tablet port or somesuch at the absolute most.

Phred:
This is not Bioware.

1) This is being handled by Beamdog. That means that at best, this is a port.

2) Bioware does not have a license to do any more D&D work. They don't even own any of the characters or any IP outside of the actual engine used to create Baldur's Gate. The game name is a registered trademark of Wizards of the Coast. I think the only thing EA is allowed to do is port the existing game to other platforms, like what they've done previously.

3) I find it hard to believe people in this day and age still think Faerun, D&D, etc, are owned or controlled by Bioware. Bioware can't make any kind of Baldur's Gate sequel without getting a license--that's why they created Dragon Age, they simply don't own that property and want to own their own IP.

Hasbro owns Wizards of the Coast, and EA owns Bioware. EA and Hasbro have a very long standing, good relationship.

I agree that the chances of this being a new game are very slim, but the idea that the rights are some huge issue doesn't really hold much water. EA hasn't had any trouble crapping out Monopoly games for Hasbro over the last decade.

Definitely not worth getting any sort of hopes up, EA wouldn't allow it.

Tanis:
I'd LOVE for a new BG:DA for the 360/PS3/WiiU, or even a BG3 for PC.

I thought I was the only one that actually liked Dark Alliance, one of my favourite games in fact. But DA wasn't developed by Bioware, it was developed by SnowBlind studios. I think.