I find it odd that people say a game does or does not look like Baldur's Gate. Any game, no matter who the developer is, would be using modern graphics and technology so there won't be hand-drawn, 2-D, 8-bit Infinity Engine graphics or UI.
If it wasn't Larian, it would be Obsidion, Owlcat, or maybe none of them and we would't be getting a sequel because Wizards of the Coast would say no to each and every one of them. If it was one of them, it would still be following D&D 5E rules because that's what Wizards of the Coast want.
I honestly feel if another company was making BG3 the complaints wouldn't be "they're just remaking Divinity" but instead would be "They're trying to copy Divinity!"
Obsidian and Owlcat games (whatever they're TB or not, or both) are way closer to what BG1/2 feels and looked like and they also use more modern graphics and technology. I don't think lot of people asked for 2-D and 8-bit infinity engine graphics or UI, even if that's something lots of you seems to think.
I guess if one of them was chosen by WoTC, whatever the rules, no one would even think about DoS.
But they're NOT D&D 5E, which Wizards of the Coast wanted BG3 to be. D&D 5E has class features that are reliant on a TB combat system. The entire system would have to be reworked from the ground up for practically every single class to move away from a TB combat system.
Which means that it would no longer be D&D 5E.
Maybe someone could have made it amazing, maybe not, but as of right now Divinity: Original Sin 2 is the current king of the crpgs, Obsidion and Owlcat have acknowledged that they relied too much on the nostalgia train.
Pillars of Eternity 2 had a lot of kickstarter support but flopped in sales. Pathfinder: Kingmaker sales went up AFTER a TB mod was made, then they patched in TB mode because of its popularity.
I honestly think if Wizards had gone with either of them, it would still be TB, because DOS2 did so much better than either P:K or PoE2.
Yes - Larian had the experience and the success with an already working TB game. I think WotC is very careful about wanting BG3 and other D&D games to reflect back on the tabletop experience. Larian also has the sales history and now a larger fanbase. Though I really enjoyed P:K more than DOS, I don't think there was any chance of WotC going with Owlcat or Obsidian.
