Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Adult content in BG3

Just going based on stats. Of the top ten best selling games of 2021, how many are truly Mature?

Rank Rank Last Month Title Publisher
1 2 Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War Activision Blizzard (Corp)
2 NEW Monster Hunter: Rise Capcom USA
3 NEW Outriders Square Enix Inc (Corp)
4 1 Super Mario 3D World* Nintendo
5 4 Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales Sony (Corp)
6 9 Mario Kart 8* Nintendo
7 7 Assassin's Creed: Valhalla Ubisoft
8 10 Animal Crossing: New Horizons* Nintendo
9 16 Super Mario 3D All-Stars* Nintendo
10 8 Minecraft Multiple Video Game Manufacturers

I see 2 games, right? COD and Assassins Creed. Granted, COD is #1, but how many have sexual content?

Now, that said, these aren't really RPGs. So maybe of those interested in RPGs, a majority like sex in games. I don't know. All I'm saying is that Larian might get more customers with a Teen rating rather than Mature and if they didn't have sex in the game.

But again, maybe they have stats I don't.

Um, try comparing games that are actually in the same genre? You literally can't compare BG3 to Super Mario or Minecraft. That's not apples and oranges, that's apples and.. erm.. jellyfish? Two totally different worlds. They might be in the "best selling" list but vastly different people buy the games on this list, for vastly different reasons.

To me, BG3 is comparable most directly to the Dragon Age series (well that's what it reminds me most of, anyway), and perhaps The Witcher series - all of which have had romances in them. Also, the BG series seems to have always had romances as part of the story.

CD Projekt Red's Witcher 3 has sold over 50 Million copies so far since release and set a new milestone for the rpg genre in general. You compare apples and pears. Super Mario Cart players usually aren't the kind of audience BG3 seeks...
I do enjoy tactical shooters for example, but only realistic hardcore ones like "Hell Let Loose" for example, not the kind silly CoD or Battlefield arcade kiddies prefer. (HLL is made by an Australian company by the way and without the usual US specific pathos and not only therefore so much better. Nevertheless I give credit to the US Battlefield 5 creators for providing a single player campaign from the German WW2 perspective, which requires some balls today, but it was still a totally arcady game like the whole series, not the kind I enjoy.) So every genre has got its fans and you just provided statistics for one year, which isn't even halfway over, yet.
By the way where is "Valheim" in your statistic for example, the best selling game on steam so far in 2021 with over 5 Million copies in just one month since release?

Ok. Let's just talk RPGs only. How many of these have sex scenes?

Im not talking romance. Im talking actual sex scenes.


Individually, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the best selling RPG of all time.

Pokémon - 368 million
Final Fantasy - 154.5 million
Dragon Quest - 81 million[2]
Dragon Quest - 81 million[3]
The Elder Scrolls - 52 million
Borderlands - 48 million[4]
Lineage - 43 million
The Witcher - 40 million
Fallout - 38 million
Mario RPG - 28.7 million
Mario RPG - 28.7 million
Kingdom Hearts - 25 million[5]
Megami Tensei - 23.5 million[6]</nowiki>[7]
Tales - 20 million[8]
Dragon Ball RPG - 17.2 million
Mass Effect - 16.5 million
Super Robot Wars - 16 million
World of Warcraft - 14 million
Souls - 14.7 million
Yo-kai Watch - 13 million[9]
Mana - 12.3 million[10]
Fable - 12 million[11][12]
Guild Wars - 11.5 million
Persona - 11.1 million[13]
SaGa - 9.9 million[14]
Inazuma Eleven - 8 million[15]
Chrono - 5.4 million[16]
Baldur's Gate - 5 million[17]
Nier - 5 million<ref>Nier 1 - 500k - SourceNier Automata - 4.5 million Source </ref>

BG1 and 2 also did not have sex scenes. You had the option to have sex with someone, but it was fade to black.

50 Million copies sold for Witcher 3 in May 2020 as the following article claims. By now it should be even more...
https://www.ibtimes.com/witcher-3-sets-new-milestone-over-50-million-copies-sold-2984764

And Pokemon, sorry, are you kidding me?! It shouldn't be on that list you provided to begin with. That's a kid's game for anime fans.

As for the other things I said, I know it to be true. Call people weak for succumbing to temptation, but the fact is that there are people, LOTS of people, who struggle against sexual addictions. Sex scenes in games and movies and stuff for them is like an alcoholic trying to give up drinking. It is hard because it is everywhere in media.

So that's why I said, it might not hurt you, but it hurts others. There are people who would REALLY love to play BG3, but they won't because the game has sexual content even available to them. I also know people who would never let their teens even consider a game that has any potential sex scenes in it.

You might think it's not a lot, but there's a reason Skyrim sold more than all the others. It was mature, but it didn't have naughty bits. Even young teens could play Skyrim because parents weren't worried their horny teen might see boobies and butts. Believe it or not, but no boobs and butts and minimal foul language goes a long way for a lot of parents.

Elderscrolls I think had one in one of the older games? I know in Morrowind there was some... interesting stuff.
Fallout definitely. Fallout 2 you could be a prostitute or pornstar, and you could marry people (regardless of gender which was ahead of its time for a game). Fallout New Vegas has fade to black sex but there are strippers (some of them ghouls and missing their skin).
Borderlands, kinda. Lots of sex jokes and immaturity all round.
The Witcher, definitely.
Mass Effect, there was the whole Fox News calling it porn fiasco.
Megami Tensei, Yes. And I count Persona as a SMT game. There is a recoccuring persona/demon that is a penis on a chariot. The first boss in SMT Persona 5 represents lust and sexually assaults minors and has a recreation of the first female party member in a wineglass which he slurps and tongues with.
WoW actually had a very large ERP server at some point and people got very detailed there. Only mentioning here cause kinda interesting/weird how people inserted their own sex scenes into a MMO.
Fable, definitely. Fade to black but you hear it.
And I think there is a sex scene in Nier Automata, there is upskirting and stuff like that, and there is sexual content in the series that was before it, Drakengard, I think.

A large portion of the list does contain sex scenes, it is kinda a thing with M Rated RPGS.

Edit: I forgot, elderscrolls also has the "book" The Lusty Argonian Maid which is just full on innuendo porn with Spear Polishing so yeah...

It is an RPG so it qualifies for a best selling RPG list. That said it is leagues away from BG in terms of comparisn. The closest game I am surprised is not on that list cause Dragon Age sold very well, and is arguably better than Mass Effect.

Well, did you ever check mods for Skyrim on Nexus? The top downloaded ones are full of sexy content, which clearly shows the demand. You have your perspective, which I can respect, but nevertheless it's a US biblebelt perspective, I think, which isn't representative for sentiments across the Atlantic f.e. In Europe we really have a different opinion on sex and nudity. Over here gore and explicit displayal of violence, dismemberment of body parts and such are considered to be offensive, sex and a nice pair of boobs are not!

Exactly, and IMHO that is a much healthier perspective on life. I too grew up in Europe - I went to museums and art galleries from a young age, saw beautiful statues and artworks depicting the human form, it was just culturally acceptable. Even religious art often depicts and deals with sex, nudity, rape, etc - all of which are mentioned in the Bible. These are human issues for people to talk about, not sweep under the rug and hope they go away. And there is no shortage of breasts depicted in religious art from the Renaissance period.

Restricting human sexuality so much that even education about it is denied to young people (as in many places in the USA), is what creates some of the problems GM4Him describes above in the first place! Twisted media portrayal of sex, sexual addiction, etc. Sex is a natural human impulse, and it's only fair to explore it through stories. Also, if teens want media with sexual content, then trust me they will find it.

Again, Im not talking mods or fade to black sex. KOTOR faded to black. You kinda knew Bastilla and the main were having a romantic interlude. BG1 and 2 did very well. Again, fade to black. NWN 1 and 2, no sex. Did well. Final Fantasy 7 gets somewhat close, but again, no actual sex scenes.

Guys. I get it. Really. You want to keep the sex in the game. Im actually pleasantly surprised BG3 wasn't more sexually graphic and such. Like I said, I almost didn't buy it because I didn't want to play a game with that stuff in it. So Im happy they at least made it so someone wasn't just throwing themselves at you or stripping naked in front of you to entice you.

Im basically saying 2 things. I think the game would actually do better from a sales perspective if it removed sex scenes, and if they don't remove them maybe the characters could just respond more to you soliciting them as opposed to them soliciting you.

Basically, if you want sex scenes then pursue it, but maybe don't slap players who don't want it in the face with it. If sex in a game is something a player has to pursue, then when people review the game and say what the content is, they can say that the game is actually pretty tame as long as you don't do xyz to trigger sex. Then parents may be more open to letting their teens and such play it. See what Im saying? Like it or not, Larian is limiting their market more by having sex scenes.

And, btw, I did some other research on this too. It may be unfortunate, but America is still the country where the most video game sales occur, so it is kinda important to reach that market.

To be fair Skyrim modding goes pretty dang far. I do not know what it is about Lovers Lab, but they have the best modders working on the weirdest things. And I say this as a weirdo who plays with certain furry mods installed.

Also going to respond to GM4Him here, parents not letting their teens play a game for certain content is valid. It is up to the parent to determine what is suitable for their kid, and it is up to parents to research a game before buying it for their kid.
I was raised with nearly no censorship, only a few things were restricted from me (and I eventually got into them on my own anyways cause where there is a will there is a way). I played Bioshock where you can engage in childmurder. Mass Effect and Dragon Age with those sex scenes. One of the first games I remember playing was Diablo, and found myself enthralled in the dark aesthetic. My most played RPG is actually Oblivion, which definitely watered a lot of ES down but there was things in it that fascinated me as a kid.
However, I recognize that another parent wouldn't let their kid play any of those for any reason, and that is respectable. BUT, I don't think that is any reason to restrict a game from having the content that makes it mature.

Exactly. It is up to each person/player or family to decide for themselves what is appropriate media consumption for them. It's why we have ratings.
It is not for us to cry "remove sex and nudity from this game!" simply because of the views of a few (not even all!) states of America.

I listed things out more to prove that in RPGs, games that have more explicit content are still big sellers, and are on the list despite Nintendo based RPGs on the list. Tangentially, even Nintendo has more... explicit games, like how they bankrolled Bayonetta 2, whereas Bayonetta has quite a bit of sexual content with how the main character strips a lot and is proud of her body... Beyond that, I actually find Bayonetta to have a very rewarding combat system (only DMCV is better and I have bias cause V is the perfect character for me with summoning and so much combo potential) and has REALLY DAMN GOOD designed angels (which are the enemies, but they really do look like biblical angels that would ask to not be feared with some mechanical and porcelain elements thrown in).

Edit: And I don't think anyone is mad, this conversation is fairly civil and most people are just bringing up counterpoints. At least I don't read any malice in anything.

Oh I agree on many accounts. But I also disagree on a few.

1. You may have a few misconceptions about American sex education. Maybe 40 years ago things were more taboo, but today unless you are in a private school you get full blown sex ed.
2. Some sweep it under the rug, and yes, unfortunately many of those are Christians who view talking about it as naughty. That actually is rather unBiblical especially since, as I had stated previously, it is literally the first commandment ever given to humans by God.
3. Sexual problems exist in all countries. It really has nothing to do with sex ed. Sex is a very base human desire. It is very strong, and moreso in some than in others. Just as some are weaker to alcohol and others stronger, so some are weaker to sexual desire than others. For some, sex has no real hold on them. For others, it is very much a problem.

But, anyway, whatever. I didn't really mean to cause a fight or argument, so I hope you aren't all getting mad. It's hard to tell with chat. I just like clean fantasy games, and I love this one. I just wish I could promote it more to people I know who also love clean fantasy. I actually can, to a certain degree, so Im happy for that. I can tell people that its pretty clean as long as you avoid convos with your party on celebration night. You have no idea how relieved I am that that is all I have to do is avoid those convos...though knowing Shadowheart is actually more romantic might mean that maybe I don't have to avoid that one....for now...

😁

No one is getting mad - I am definitely not. Actually this is has turned into a very interesting conversation, and everyone has dealt with it respectfully - the mods must be relieved!

My point wasn't that they shouldn't have sex scenes because of parents not owning up to making sure their kids don't play games like this. My point was that IF they removed sex from the game they might get more buyers BECAUSE parents might let their kids play it. Im talking about expanding the audience.

But regardless. I was just stating my opinion and thoughts on it and the research I've done. The game lists were just RPGs I found online and how well they sold. The point is that as you decrease the maturity level, you increase your market potential...to a certain degree. Certainly, BG3 would be awful as an Everyone game like Mario or Pokemon, but those sell so much because the market is broader.

Please don't get me wrong. BG3 is a more mature game with more mature themes. I wouldn't want them to mush it all up and make it sappy and lame. I'm just saying that games like Skyrim, which is also mature, will always have more market potential just because they don't have full blown sex scenes.

Yea, I know my type of romance is never going to be in this game lol. A sideways glance, a smile, a touch on the shoulder. Nope. just banging after killing lots of things. I get it, people like sex. It's just a little disappointing.

Ok. Cool. Just wasnt sure. Hard to tell.

So true! I actually think Australians in general are culturally much closer to Europe, because of England and the Commonwealth history. Unfortunately I've never been to Australia, yet. As a sidenote you do have quite the most poisonous creatures in the whole world, I mean you've got sharks, crocodiles, snakes and deadly spiders - critters we gladly don't have in Europe to this extend. I'm not sure if I really wanted to go swimming in Australia f.e.... And if you're out of fuel in the Outback, you're dead! But nevertheless I'd like to see Sidney and Ayer's Rock someday. ;-) Anyway I like Australians, they tend to be less pc, than most other people from Western countries, including Germany. I respect that a lot, tough and brave people!

We do share roots with the US of course, all whites in the US actually derive from Europeans, but still there is a cultural gap nowadays, which is undeniable. Please don't take this as anti-American statement, I visited the States twice already and I enjoyed it. Americans tend to be very friendly people. And there is so much more to see. But still some things are handled differently over here than over the big pond. It might have had a reason why religious fanatics of all sorts had to leave the continent some centuries ago... just, saying... (We had our cruel religious motivated wars in Europe like the 30 Years War in Germany (1618-48), with a death toll of 1/3 of the overall German population back then between Catholics and Lutherans or the Bartholomew's Day Massacre in France on Protestant Huguenots and much more. The Early Modern Age history of Ireland is also on that list. So we wanted to get rid of potential troublemakers, who were considered to be a danger to the newly found common sense, which simply provided peace between the different Christian confessions…)


A mature rpg game requires some sexy content in it (soft-core) nowadays. The overwhelming majority expects and appreciates that. It's like a TV-series on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Do you think f.e. Game of Thrones would have been as successful without the sex and honestly occasionally very sexy bare boobs in it? Sure the writing was excellent, the plot stunning, the dialogues great and the actors overwhelming, but still sex and nudity was the salt in the soup. Millions across the globe enjoyed it and GoT was definitively not prude, despite being a fantasy story made in the US.I loved it and so did my girlfriend! GoT had a perfect mixture and attracted a lot of people, who usually aren't interest in fanatasy, so did Witcher 3 for the rpg gaming genre.I think some Puritan parents really don't matter concerning sales... The modern worldwide audience enjoys this kind of content, if it is well done. But concerning BG3 it's okay, that the player has to pursue it. It shouldn't jump on everyone's face, that's okay. Just like the quite funny Ogre and Hobgoblin, scene, it's your choice to open the barn or not. So far you can avoid any romance in BG3 pretty easily by dialogue in the camp. I did get some gay vibes in my plathrough by the companions, but I didn't react to those. I have no propblem with gays, to be clear, I'm just into women and women only and therefore a homosexual romance won't happen in my game.
So I don't really know what you're complaining about? I didn't see bare boobs, yet in the game f.e. (I didn't play the Minthara route, yet) But If I pursue a romance with a hopefully better/more attractive option than Shadowheart in the future, I actually would like to see some sexy content... It would be a shame if Larian chickened out here and gave in to Wizards of the Coasts, who might have too much an eye for the sentiments of the US biblebelt. That's my only fear for this otherwise great game.