At today’s State of Play Event held by Sony, Larian Studios announced via a new gameplay trailer that Baldur’s Gate 3 will ship on PlayStation 5, PC and Mac on Aug. 31, 2023.
Larian’s latest Baldur’s Gate 3 trailer gave players their first glimpse at one of the next-gen RPG’s as-yet-unseen antagonists, General Ketheric Thorm, a seemingly invincible necromancer leading an army of the dead towards the eponymous city of Baldur’s Gate – and voiced by none other than acclaimed character actor J.K. Simmons.
“Ketheric is a man with complex ambitions and motivations, so in searching for his voice, we knew we needed to work with a renowned character actor who could deliver the kind of nuanced performance we were looking for – so we decided to cast J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Spider-Man). While we expected it, we were still amazed at how much his performance helped deepen the character. We’ll introduce you to two more antagonists over the coming months – keep an eye out,” explained Larian creative director Swen Vincke in a post on the PlayStation Blog.
Here’s a peek inside the recording booth with J.K. Simmons as Ketheric Thorm:
The latest Baldur’s Gate 3 trailer also includes several gameplay-related reveals:
- Split-screen Co-op: Play with up to two players on one PS5 using split-screen co-op, or play online with up to four players!
- Controller Support: Baldur’s Gate 3 has only supported mouse-and-keyboard gameplay during early access on Steam, but the new trailer provides a first look at what to expect from full controller support at launch.
Finally, the PlayStation Blog post went into detail about the offerings from Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Deluxe Edition and the Collector’s Edition, both available to pre-order for PS5 via the PlayStation Store.
All early access players on PC (including anyone who purchases the game between now and release) have been automatically upgraded to the Deluxe Edition.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Deluxe Edition
This fully digital Deluxe Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3 contains:
- Playable Bard Song Pack featuring songs from Divinity: Original Sin 2
- Exclusive in-game dice skin
- An Adventurer’s Pouch containing supplies to help you get your journey started
- Digital downloads of the Baldur’s Gate 3 Original Soundtrack, artbook and character sheets
- 72-hours early access to Act I of Baldur’s Gate 3 beginning Aug. 28, 2023 [PS5]
As well as this pack of items inspired by the BAFTA Award-winning Divinity: Original Sin II:
- Mask of the Shapeshifter: Allows you to change race and appearance on the fly, inspired by Fane
- Cape of the Red Prince: Cloak inspired by the Red Prince
- Lute of the Merryweather Bard: Playable instrument inspired by Lohse
- Needle of the Outlaw Rogue: Dagger inspired by Sebille
- Bicorne of the Sea Beast: Headgear inspired by Beast
- Paintings from Rivellon: Discover a new collection of paintings across the Forgotten Realms
Baldur’s Gate 3 Collector’s Edition
Each Collector’s Edition contains:
- A digital copy of Baldur’s Gate 3 Deluxe Edition
- Custom sticker sheet
- 25cm Mind Flayer vs. Drow battle diorama
- 160-page hardcover art book
- Cloth map of Faerûn
- Set of D&D-inspired origin character sheets
- Metal tadpole keyring
- Magic: The Gathering booster pack
- Custom-engraved metal d20, plus an in-game version!
- Certificate of authenticity
By pre-ordering the Collector’s Edition, players will also receive the contents of the Deluxe Edition, which for PlayStation 5 players also includes 72-hours early access to Act I of Baldur’s Gate 3 at launch. All pre-orders will ship in time for launch.
More information on Baldur’s Gate 3 is available on the official website. You can stay up to date with the latest Larian Studios news via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and the official Discord Server.
