The Baldur’s Gate franchise is owned by US firm Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, which Larian licensed the intellectual property from to make Baldur’s Gate 3.
In other words, the adaptation can be made without the game developer’s involvement.
Following the news, Larian founder Swen Vincke posted on X, external the team had all worked “incredibly hard” on making Baldur’s Gate 3 “worthy of its legacy”.
“I think I can speak for them all in saying that they’ll think this is cool and hope that what comes next will enjoy the same level of passion,” he said.
He said Mazin had “reached out for a chat” so the team would have some opportunity to give their input to the series.
But some fans were quick to question, external whether Mazin, who has attracted some criticism for directions he took in the second series of The Last of Us, was the right person for the role – and whether Larian’s lack of involvement could mean it felt like “a familiar face with a stranger’s heart”.
“Not sure if I trust anyone other than Larian with those characters,” one posted on X, external.
“No involvement from Larian and Craig Mazin is crazy,” said another, external.
Eurogamer journalist Vikki Blake told the BBC fans could show some cautious optimism due to Mazin’s passion and experience – even though previous successful adaptations like Fallout and The Last of Us did bring people over from their development teams.
“As a proud D&D Dungeon Master, you’d think that someone like Mazin – who’s already brought a game to (real) life – wouldn’t take this on unless he was confident that he understood and respected the world of Baldur’s Gate 3,” she said.