Wizards of the Coast is reportedly working on a remake of the classic 2000 BioWare RPG, Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, with former BioWare developer and original game co-lead designer Kevin Martens set to return for the project.
As reported by PC Gamer, sources familiar with the project state that Martens is already in the process of working on the Baldur’s Gate II remake. However, since the title was a direct follow-up to 1998’s original Baldur’s Gate, it remains to be seen if the OG will be getting the same remake treatment, although the rumours are that this seems likely, with both titles being developed concurrently.
While these are merely rumours at this point, it will be interesting to see just how big the scope will be for these reported remakes. Both games have already been brought to the more modern gaming generation thanks to their respective “Enhanced Editions” in 2013, which packaged the games and their expansions while also introducing new content like additional party members or challenges like the Black Pits II: Gladiators of Thay arena-style battles, but a fully-fledged remake leaves room for more drastic changes, especially on the visual front, although considering the massive scale of these two games, bringing them to the standards of later titles like 2023’s Baldur’s Gate 3 seems like a tall order.
If the rumours are true, these two remakes could serve to let fans return to the Sword Coast and the city of Athkatla ahead of the release of the next chapter in the franchise, Baldur’s Gate 4. The much-anticipated next chapter is still in its early planning stages and will be helmed by a different studio following the departure of Larian Studios. With this in mind, the title could still be many years away, so hopefully these two remakes could serve as a stopgap as fans wait, if the rumours are even true.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
Si Jia
