Company News Beamdog working on a Baldur's Gate interquel set between BG1 and BG2, and some other stuff

[Lagole Gon]

I guess I didn't word that right. Jaheira, Minsc, Imoen, Sarevok etc... are characters that exist in FR? As in, they just took some characters that are already named and mentioned in the lore or other books, and then wrote them into the game? Similar to Jeanette Voerman in Bloodlines. She is a character in the WoD setting. Troika didn't make her up from scratch.

I just don't really keep up on FR lore so I don't know.

Bioware created the characters, but they don't own the rights now.

As far as I understand - Hasbro (WotC) has the rights to names etc., Atari owns games. No, Atari isn't a division of Hasbro anymore. I think

 

[Infinitron]

Atari owns games. No, Atari isn't a division of Hasbro anymore. I think

They never were.

Also, they don't own anything related to D&D anymore. Except maybe the license to sell crap like Daggerdale or whatever it's called. Atari is out of the picture.

EDIT: Actually, they don't show up on Daggerdale's Steam page anymore either: http://store.steampowered.com/app/99100/

 

[Jaesun]

Bioware created the characters, but they don't own the rights now.

My (VERY basic) understanding of Intellectual Properties are, the original characters made by BioWare are BioWare's Intellectual Property. Even if they are in WotC licensed D&D setting, the original characters still are BioWare's property.

If Beamdog are going to feature any of BioWare's IP, I just find that vastly curious (and I assume they got permission).

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

My (VERY basic) understanding of Intellectual Properties are, the original characters made by BioWare are BioWare's Intellectual Property. Even if they are in WotC licensed D&D setting, the original characters still are BioWare's property.

If Beamdog are going to feature any of BioWare's IP, I just find that vastly curious (and I assume they got permission).

I think that can be overridden by the agreement they originally made with Bioware though. To me it looks as though WotC retained the rights to the characters so they could fit them into the continuity, publish books etc.

And when others have worked with these characters, they've dealt with WotC. Here's an interview with someone who did a D&D comic featuring Minsc, for example.

he agreed and put me in touch with Wizards of the Coast. The conversation grew from there.
...
The adventure that happened in Baldur’s Gate happened just before our story
...
One of the fun things that we were able to pull into it was a fan-favorite character from the video game who has not been followed up on since those games. His name is Minsc, and he’s not always quick on the uptake.

And it also seems as though Trent Oster has been working with WotC in this whole exercise, so they probably have agreed to let them use the characters for another game (interesting interview):

Oster: I think part of that was our fault, at BioWare. I think we were undeservedly arrogant. “We’re the story guys. We’ll do the story stuff. We’ll tell you what we’re doing and we’ll push back on it.” There was some Wizards pushback on their side. I don’t think, at that point, they really understood the computer gaming side and how much impact it had in terms of the number of eyeballs on the content. We got a lot of pushback around using famous characters and so on, using famous settings. It was hard. This was during the Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights timeline. Whereas our relationship with the Wizards guys for the last three years has just been phenomenal.

 

[mondblut]

I guess I didn't word that right. Jaheira, Minsc, Imoen, Sarevok etc... are characters that exist in FR? As in, they just took some characters that are already named and mentioned in the lore or other books, and then wrote them into the game?

Nope, they did not exist before BG, but they were written into BG novels (released by TSR independently of Bioware/IPLY) and with that became a part of FR canon proper. And rest assured, they have secured anything made by a licensee that was used in their own first-party works. Licensees come and go, but stuff written into their property is ought to stay forever.

 

[Jaesun]

OK cool. I think it is fairly clear, WotC/HASBRO owns all the character rights then. I just find Intellectual Property rights fascinating.

 

[m_s0]

If Beamdog are going to feature any of BioWare's IP, I just find that vastly curious (and I assume they got permission).

That, or there's going to be yet another shitstorm over rights and whatnot after the release.

 

[Makabb]

The interqul we all wanted.

So, it'll be five minutes with 100 experience points maximum. Then Irenicus cold cocks you and kills half your party.

Interquel as the previous HD remakes is a side project to raise funds for their first big project which will be Baldur's Gate 3.

 

[Gulnar]

This can't end well.

 

[Amasius]

Bah - the only part of Baldurs Gate that needs new content is ToB. The quests, banters and items were mostly very uninspired.

 

[Obsequious Approbation]

I was hoping for a circumquel, but, alas, no such luck.

 

[Hugh Vagoth]

Can't wait to bromance Minsc!

 

[Viata]

Interquel as the previous HD remakes is a side project to raise funds for their first big project which will be Baldur's Gate 3.

Guess they don't need that many money if they are going to to a five minutes game to raise funds.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

As long as these bastards are concentrating on BG and IWD, it keeps them away from Planescape Torment. They can butcher those other two all they like, but stay the fuck away from Torment.

 

[SCO]

As long as these bastards are concentrating on BG and IWD, it keeps them away from Planescape Torment. They can butcher those other two all they like, but stay the fuck away from Torment.

It's only a question of time

 

[AngryKobold]

Torment is known to be mod unfriendly, using heavily modified IE. That means Beamdog won't touch the game soon, having only sources of standard IE at disposal. Remains of P:T are safe and deep buried.

 

[Athelas]

As much as we'd like to joke about it, I don't think Beamdog would insert their own companions in a hypothetical PS:T enhanced edition. I don't believe they added any new story content to IWD. That seems to be purely a BG thing.

There was some interesting stuff cut/not fully implemented in PS:T, most notably the morale system, the prototype for Obsidian's future influence system. The companions even have unused voice bites to reflect their current mood.

 

[JarlFrank]

Whatever happened to coming up with your own damn story, ffs?

 

[Makabb]

As much as we'd like to joke about it, I don't think Beamdog would insert their own companions in a hypothetical PS:T enhanced edition. I don't believe they added any new story content to IWD. That seems to be purely a BG thing.

There was some interesting stuff cut/not fully implemented in PS:T, most notably the morale system, the prototype for Obsidian's future influence system. The companions even have unused voice bites to reflect their current mood.

Waiting for Planescape: The Tournament. I'm positive Beamdog will deliver us the game we always wanted!

 

[GloomFrost]

The real bg 3 (pillars of eternity) is coming out soon and also considering the quality of the new content in bg 2 ee.... Thanx but no, thanx.

 

[Viata]

Please, PoE is not BG3. I don't remember BG taking an eternity to load.

 

[GloomFrost]

Please, PoE is not BG3. I don't remember BG taking an eternity to load.

Unless you owned an expensive high end rig back in the 90s, bg did take it sweet time to load.

 

[Viata]

Unless you owned an expensive high end rig back in the 90s, bg did take it sweet time to load.

Indeed. But compare IE to Unity. Unity is supposed to not ask for a high end rig and even if you do have one, PoE still takes century to load.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

Unity is supposed to not ask for a high end rig and even if you do have one, PoE still takes century to load.

 

[Athelas]

Unity is supposed to not ask for a high end rig