But I don't think think you can argue that the factory seems perfectly in place in the setting because it is in BG3. Were that the case *nothing* could be ruled out of place in the setting.
Actually, you can.
Since BG3 is canon. Thus anything that is in BG3 is considered canon to the setting.
As far as "Nothing being ruled out", well... Yeah. That's the point. At the end of the day, WotC have the last say in what is acceptable to include in the canon and once it's included in some canon media it is suddenly an accepted part of the setting.
Like, if WotC DID greenlight iPhones, Blasters and Apache Attack Helicopters in BG3... Then those things would thus be canon to the setting.
Such is the nature of this sort of mass developed setting. With the hodge podge of ideas from different people writing stories within the setting and a "Hands off" holder of the IP that just greenlights whatever they feel is acceptable you can end up getting things that might seem anachronistic to the setting... But they become canon nonetheless.
If the IP holder (WotC) was a primary source of writing, and actually cared much about consistency within the IP, then they'd be able to focus the setting into a specific vision and be more selective with what they greenlight from other writers, which may have resulted in no factories or smokepowder appearing in the setting.
