If Bg finally is TB (I do not think that is going to happen anyway) I do not think that was the end of the franchise. Most franchises evolved with time: FF from TB-Rpg to Action RPG to Soap-Opera PG(no R here); Fallout from CRPG to a shooter... Every time people said It would be the end of the franchise, and the world didn´t stop.
I played Pillars of eternity 2, first in RTwP, then in TB, and I have to say that I enjoyed most that game in TB, even if I frowned at TB at first. I realized that most of the time I just buffed my characters, cast several spells, point the objectives and just sit and stare while the IA end the battle. You do not have that luxury in TB.
Even If I said that, If you ask me I would prefer my BG game in RTwP, but a DoS game with D&D 5e rules does not sound bad to me either.
The BG series is not only RTwP combat, It was also D&D, and a party-based game, and a fantasy well-written story, and memorable companions, and tactical battles against powerful adversaries, and varied subquests with interesting plots, and silly and funny references, and dungeons full of monsters and loot...
Larian really have their work cut for them.
