Sven Vincke's team chose complete creative freedom.
Many were surprised when Larian Studios announced their abandonment of the Dungeons & Dragons license after the resounding success of Baldur's Gate 3. The studio decided not to continue working on a potential Baldur's Gate 4, preferring to focus on their own intellectual property — reviving the Divinity series.
The reasons for this decision are simple: creating a new game based on D&D would mean working under the control of Wizards of the Coast and parent company Hasbro, the owners of the license, again. Sven Vincke's team chose complete creative freedom.
Giving up the almost guaranteed success of a sequel was not easy, but former Rockstar lead developer Obbe Vermeij expressed deep respect for Larian for following their ambitions.
It's cool that Larian Studios after Baldur's Gate 3 said, "We don't want to make Baldur's Gate 4. We'll just make another game." Good job. That's a bold move. It's not obvious and very risky, because it's easier to keep doing what already works.
According to the developer, studios often prefer not to experiment too much when they already have a very successful series.
