A LOTR Game Like BG3 & How Long They Spent On Character Creation: Baldur's Gate 3 Cast At MCM Comic Con (2024)

Screen Rant attended two Baldur's Gate 3 panels at MCM London Comic Con, the first of which focused on some of the cast and their voice directors, and the second of which was comprised entirely of cast members, particularly the voices of the Tavs, and those involved in the Dark Urge story. After years of development and Early Access, Baldur's Gate 3 had its full launch in August 2023 and went on to be the biggest game of the year, winning numerous awards, including the coveted Game of the Year.

Across the two panels, the cast and voice directors shared several anecdotes from the game's development, from Tilly Steele being a fan of Baldur's Gate 2 and Neil Roberts praising her for her direction of the Dark Urge monologue in which she helped him find "a sense of fear" and "vulnerability", to voice and casting director Beth Park revealing there wasn't a full script when she started directing the origin characters, stating that they had a "vibe" for characters such as Shadowheart, but "didn't know the full story" until later on.

They also shared stories about the game's launch, with the sheer success coming as a surprise to some, such as Park, and their interactions with fans in the following months. Dave Jones, for instance, has been sent plenty of bear-themed content on social media following his role as Halsin - not all of it wholesome.

The panel attendees were:

The Baldur's Gate 3 Cast Would Love To See LOTR Get The Same Treatment

Feeling That Gaming Has Barely Scratched The Surface Regarding LOTR Stories And Lore

When asked by a fan in the Sunday panel Screen Rant attended which fantasy universe they would like to see fit into the , the panel almost unanimously agreed upon Lord of the Rings, with Joshua Wichard being the first to suggest it, stating that the world is "so rife with lore", and expressing that games have "barely scratched the surface of where those stories can and should take us." Despite some light-hearted ribbing from the panel's moderator, Ed Templar, regarding the "upcoming film about Gollum that nobody asked for", he did agree that he'd "been desiring a Baldur's Gate-esque Lord of the Rings game" and stated that it would be "amazing."

Neil Roberts and Joshua Wichard then went on to mention the ill-fated Gollum game from last year that they both worked on, which was also released last year, with Roberts saying "We find it amusing that Josh and I have worked on the biggest game and the not quite the biggest game of the year". Tina Barnes also mentioned her work on the 2009 Hunt for Gollum short film - not to be mistaken for the upcoming movie of the same name - in which she played an orc. With the cast's enthusiasm for the Lord of the Rings series, it would be great to see Tolkien's world get the same treatment as Baldur's Gate, with a new, rich RPG full of lore in which players can truly carve out their own path through Middle Earth.

Some Of The Baldur's Gate 3 Cast Spent Plenty Of Hours Immersed In The Character Creation

Neil Roberts Described It As "Extraordinary"

The cast also spoke highly of Baldur's Gate 3's character creation when asked how long they'd spent in it by a fan. The game's customization lets players choose their character's appearance, from selecting their gender and race to choosing various parts of the facial structure, body appearance, and more. It is also the place where players can begin to develop their character's core personality and traits based on their race, background, and class, which can further impact abilities, dialogue options, and other elements in the main game.

Dave Jones stated that he spent two and a half hours in the character creation alone, but has started playing it again now that there's the addition of the magic mirror. This mysterious magical artifact was added to the game in September 2023 and can be found in parts of a player's camp and can further change the appearance of the character.

Scott Joseph went slightly longer, spending around three hours in the Character Creation, and laughed about how he had to warn his wife that the system was about to go into "every detail" at the time before letting her choose. Neil Roberts spent around three hours just doing the origin of the Dark Urge in Character Creation and praised how well the choices made in the creator were carried through to other aspects of the game, calling it "extraordinary", "fabulous" and "staggering".

Perhaps one of the best parts of MCM London Comic Con's Baldur's Gate 3 panels was hearing the cast not only talking about their experiences with creating the game but also playing it afterward as fans, showing their passion for the game continuing months after launch. Although it became somewhat of a running gag across the two panels, Neil Roberts often referred to his Twitch channel, NeilyRoberts, where he is playing through the game as the Dark Urge, which is sure to offer plenty of insights from his time playing the character.

Sources: NeilyRoberts/Twitch

Baldur's Gate 3

Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.

Franchise

Baldur's Gate

Platform(s)

PC , Stadia , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Publisher(s)

Larian Studios

Genre(s)

RPG

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

30 Hours