Baldur’s Gate 3 proves FOMO is a great marketing tool

I’m sure you’re already aware, but Baldur’s Gate 3 launched last week, and it’s kind of a big deal. It’s smashed all expectations, and now whenever I go on Twitter, all I see is hot elf people seducing demon ladies with horns. It’s phenomenal.

I can’t even escape BG3 at home, as my housemate is playing it on his Steamdeck. I watched over his shoulder for a bit and became thoroughly overwhelmed by the system-dense look of the UI, but Lord help me, I still want to play it just because it looks like everyone else is having so much fun.

At the time of writing, Baldur’s Gate 3 has surpassed 800,000 concurrent players and shows no signs of slowing down. Compare this to another recently released game like Exoprimal, which has seen its audience slowly dwindle, and it’s clear BG3 has struck gold. And this is a big surprise too. Even BG3 developer Larian expected no more than 100,000 people would be tackling its world at once. But what could have caused this?

BG3 is a very system-heavy, Dungeons & Dragons-inspired RPG. I’m not really interested in either of those things. I’ve done a few D&D campaigns, but I’m no fanatic, and I prefer more simplistic RPG experiences. So why do I want to play it so damn badly?

I think the answer is simple: FOMO. Everyone is talking about BG3. You can’t move for screenshots or videos. It was a similar case with Barbenheimer; the meme well ran deep, and it felt like you were missing out on a grand cultural event if you didn’t join in. Even now, almost a month after opening weekend, theaters are packed with people dressed head to toe in pink or with a crushing realization on their faces of the evils of man. FOMO is a powerful force. It helps when you make something good, too.

With Baldur’s Gate, it all started a few weeks back with the bear romance cutscene. We all wanted to get in on that furry action—deny it all you want, but deep down, I know you want it too. The hype died down a little after, but once launch day hit, the floodgates opened, and I’ve not been able to think about anything else.

Players are sharing their cool characters, creative combat encounters, hot romances, quirky item descriptions, and everything I’ve seen just makes BG3 look fun. In a world where people constantly rush a story to get to the post-game, it’s refreshing to hear players are sinking hours into the campaign, barely making any progress, and having a blast regardless.

I’m sure a large part of that enjoyment is due to the beautiful lack of microtransactions or live-service elements. When was the last time a AAA game launched without any of that stuff? Just a new, single-player experience that you don’t need to spend any extra money on? Apart from all the remakes released this year, it’s been a while. 

I’m still not sure I’ll actually get Baldur’s Gate 3. Armored Core 6 and Starfield are out soon, and they’re both more my speed. I’m also deep into a Skyrim replay and having a blast, so I don’t think going from a relatively casual game to what looks like a very imposing one is the right call. But I’m cheering everyone on from the sidelines and marveling at all the cool stuff you’re doing.

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