The game is steeped in Forgotten Realms lore in general, and Sword Coast lore in specific, and takes into consideration the substantial passage of time and circumstances in the region. Conflating game lore and game mechanics is a big issue on many of these posts. You can freely argue that the mechanics might not adhere as closely to 5E as some may desire, but you can't really sustain an argument that the lore is somehow not BG, especially when only around 20% of the game has been revealed.
