News Baldur’s Gate HBO Is Making a Baldur’s Gate 3 Series, and the Game’s Creators Aren’t Involved The show will pick up where Baldur’s Gate 3 left off but feature new characters and storylines By Matthew Byrd | Published on February 6, 2026 Screenshot: Larian Studios Comment 0 Share New Share Screenshot: Larian Studios Deadline reports that HBO is developing a TV adaptation of Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 with The Last of Us and Chernobyl co-creator Craig Mazin set to write, produce, and serve as showrunner for the series. Released in 2023 by Larian Studios, Baldur’s Gate 3 resurrected the Baldur’s Gate gaming franchise, which was started by the legendary RPG studio, BioWare. Set in the Forgotten Realms (which is part of the Dungeons & Dragons universe), Baldur’s Gate 3 sees players create a protagonist and then throw them into a massive world filled with compelling characters, dangerous creatures, and countless storytelling possibilities. Though initially considered to be something of a niche project due to both the dense nature of the franchise and Larian’s previous projects, Baldur’s Gate 3 went on to be one of the most acclaimed and successful titles in recent gaming history. It’s no exaggeration to suggest it may be the greatest role-playing video game ever made, and its many, many fans include Mazin himself. “After putting nearly 1000 hours into the incredible world of Baldur’s Gate 3, it is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that Larian and Wizards of the Coast created,” says Mazin. “I am a devoted fan of D&D and the brilliant way that Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it. I can’t wait to help bring Baldur’s Gate and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can, and I’m deeply grateful to Gabe Marano and his team at Hasbro for entrusting me with this incredibly important property.” Mazin’s involvement with The Last of Us seemingly makes him an obvious candidate for this job, but the devil is very much in the details in this instance. While HBO’s The Last of Us series has thus far been an adaptation of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part 2 (with certain creative liberties taken along the way), HBO’s Baldur’s Gate series is being described as a continuation of the events of Baldur’s Gate 3. It will feature new characters and storylines, but it will also advance the adventures of many of the major characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 (it’s not believed the show will draw from the prior Baldur’s Gate games more than what is needed for the purposes of lore and world-building). While there are some questions regarding which of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s numerous possible endings the show will draw from, the set-up seemingly affords the show’s team with relative creative freedom. With no Baldur’s Gate 4 in development and the events of Baldur’s Gate 3 behind them, the show’s team will have the chance to tell a fairly fresh story in this universe. It remains to be seen whether that much creative freedom will help or hinder the series’ writers, but it’s certainly worth noting that those writers will not include members of Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios. Yes, Deadline reports (and Larian Studios confirms) that the developers have no official creative involvement with the HBO series. While the show’s crew will include people close to the series (most notably Chris Perkins, the former Head of Story at Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast), much of the team responsible for making Baldur’s Gate 3 one of the most acclaimed games in recent memory will not be a significant part of this production. That is certainly unusual when compared to some of the more successful recent video game adaptations like Fallout and The Last of Us, which notably featured substantial involvement from various members of those games’ creative teams. It’s also worth noting that Baldur’s Gate 3 was a true passion project for Larian Studios that required years of meticulous development as well as years of the studio making Baldur’s Gate-like titles that proved their credentials. Not involving them in this process is a risky move that has drawn mixed reactions from some Larian team members. Larian Studios’ CEO Swen Vincke said he’s eager to chat with Mazin and offer whatever thoughts and help he can, while Larian’s Director of Publishing Michael Douse went on a bit of a social media rant that included the line “I genuinely don’t think anyone can trump our writers.” To be fair, we do not know who will ultimately write HBO’s Baldur’s Gate series beyond Mazin himself. So far as that goes, it’s possibly worth noting that Mazin enjoyed an… unusual career prior to launching his HBO series, which includes writing credits on Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 4, The Hangover sequels, and the 1997 Harland Williams comedy RocketMan. Tonally, Chernobyl and The Last of Us are obviously pretty far removed from those works, but it will be fascinating to see which direction Mazin ultimately takes this particular series in given that Baldur’s Gate titles are traditionally filled with more light-hearted elements that balance out all the drama, conflict, and intrigue. The task is certainly tall, but the potential is undeniable. Baldur’s Gate 3 is one of the most faithful digital adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons ever made. Among other things, that means it faithfully recreated the experience of throwing a group of fresh characters into a dynamic world and embracing the beautiful chaos of the stories that are told along the way. The HBO series will reportedly focus on a cast of new characters navigating the world left behind by the major events of Baldur’s Gate 3, which is roughly how the great Baldur’s Gate and D&D stories of the past kicked off. Though Larian proved themselves to be uniquely gifted storytellers in this world, perhaps a new group of adventurers will (as many D&D players of the past have done) eventually find their own way. There’s no further information regarding this adaptation’s production schedule or any significant additions to its creative team, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as we learn more. 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