To those who think BG3 is not a Baldur's Gate game:
Don't you remember how some game series have changed over time? Elder Scrolls, Ultima or GTA?
E.g. the change from 90° top town GTA2 to 3D GTA3 - it changed the game experience completely, but GTA3 was the GTA that got this series so popular.
A game series should be allowed to change over time - and has to change over time to attract a new audience. The old will not grow.
GTA is arguably the worst example case. From the perspective of playing the series in chronological context at least, that is playing the various GTAs in their year of release.
The GTA series is an example of how it could be hard to pinpoint what makes things the way they are.
And the vanity of reducing a thing to certain elements (even though this approach is tremendously popular with so called RPGers who see RPG in terms of elements)
There is an obvious evolution in the series that matches technological progress. But it establishes a continuity beyond the technological constraints.
There is something making a GTA game a GTA game and it sticks so far. A touch.A vibration. It might disappear. The continuity exists though.
Going UgoIgo,as it was mentioned before the presentation, ensures devs with a strong line of fanatics who will keep defending the product no matter what. They have their UgoIgo sharia. It goes through by claiming this is a BG product other than by name and papers.
Nevertheless, BG3 is a different case. It is a case of mongrelization. BG happened before D OS without D OS being that an obvious heir to BG. When D OS was released, BG was not an immediate reference.
And BG, by chronology, could not get D OS as a reference.
Basically, two products, one game, BG, that does not take after D OS. And a product, D OS, that does not take that much after BG.
Now BG3. When looking at it, D OS, does not require that much of an imagination.
BG 1 and 2, another issue. It must be look hard, harder and try again.
A blond, blue eyed, fair skinned man. Nothing wrong wanting the kid to look after the father. When the kid looks different, maybe time to wonder what the black colleague of the wife was at.
A main difference with the GTA series: there are obvious outside influences but each game reflects a progression from one to another. They refer first and most to each other.
BG3 refers at least as much to D OS than it does to BG.
Now a speculation for long term, 10 years. Substitution of population.
If this product gets popular and follow ups are made, BG4, 5,6, players will explain in ten years that the intruders never were BG3,4,5. Those will be the natives.
The impersonators will be BG1 and 2. They will be the illegitimate ones.
The american system, the american system.