After a long early access period and successful launch on PC, Baldur’s Gate 3 finally made it to PS5 last week. Developer Larian celebrated this milestone with a hilarious animated short symbolizing the game’s transition from early access to a finished product.
Baldur’s Gate 3 releases hilarious “Launch Party” short
The “Baldur’s Gate 3: Launch Party” short stars human wizard Gale, vampire rogue Astarion, Half-Elf cleric Shadowheart, and Tiefling barbarian Karlach. After completing their adventures in the realm of “Ear-lay-axe-ease,” the four prepare to enter a portal to the land of “Le-onche.” Upon arriving at Baldur’s Gate, the team soon encounters the launch version of themselves. The Launch version of Asterion is quick to point out how much they’ve changed, noting Gale’s face and Shadowheart’s old haircut. The short also has enough sight gags, in-jokes, and memes to justify multiple replays.
This is the second animated short that Larian released for the popular Baldur’s Gate 3, releasing “The Greatest Foe” in June. The earlier short featured Gale, Shadowheart, Astarion, Wyll, and Lae’zel preparing for their rematch with an overpowered frog. It referenced the notoriously broken Addled Frog, which was infamous for its ability to wipe the player’s party in early access.
Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios worked with the animation YouTube channel Mashed on both videos. The channel makes animated shorts based on many popular game franchises, though Sonic and Nintendo parodies are the most common. Still, it seems fair to say that Mashed was the right choice for these collaborations.
Baldur’s Gate 3 fans were very impressed with the second short, with some commenters hoping this becomes a full animated series. Larian and Mashed didn’t respond to those comments, and it seems unlikely that wish will come true. Then again, shows like The Legend of Vox Machina prove there is a market for adult D&D cartoons.
