Josh Sawyer: Baldur’s Gate 3’s Early Access Strategy Wouldn’t Have Saved Pillars of Eternity 2’s Launch Struggles, Plus Larian’s Own Act 3 Challenges

RPG veteran Josh Sawyer believes that Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire wouldn’t have benefited from adopting the early-access model used by Baldur’s Gate 3, even though he acknowledges that Obsidian’s method wasn’t flawless.

Both Pillars of Eternity and its sequel, Deadfire, featured backer betas, allowing supporters of the RPGs to experience early access. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Sawyer, who directed both titles, was asked if he would alter anything about the backer beta process if given the chance.

He explained that the primary goal of the betas wasn’t game balance but rather understanding the “overall experience.” The team aimed to gauge player reactions to various elements, including quest mechanics, dialogue presentation, and character builds.

“My strategy for the backer betas was to focus on side content,” he shared. “These were aspects players would encounter during the game, particularly in the middle sections, but not critical to the main storyline. They were important, yet if there were minor quality dips due to early iteration and extensive player exposure, it wouldn’t drastically affect the overall experience or quality perception.”

Despite the advantages of the backer beta, Sawyer admitted, “the major oversight was that we didn’t have time to balance the Veteran and Path of the Damned difficulties in Pillars of Eternity 2.”

“There were numerous elements needing tuning that simply didn’t receive the necessary attention,” he continued. “That’s on me. We did manage to patch it within about two weeks of launch, but we had to play catch-up. While it wasn’t catastrophic, I wish we had prioritized that earlier. It wasn’t about the backer beta itself; it was more about how I allocated resources toward the end of development.”

He then referenced Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3, which released an early access version of its first act in late 2020, nearly three years before the full game launched. “Even if we had focused on the beginning of the game, like Baldur’s Gate 3 did with its backer beta, I still think we would have faced similar issues,” he said. “Many problems became more pronounced as the game progressed.”

“The later stages of the game often see balance issues arise due to the increasing complexity of the systems involved. While early game issues are apparent, I believe we would have encountered the same challenges regardless of where we focused our testing,” he added. “Shifting our focus wouldn’t have necessarily led to a better outcome.”

Sawyer also noted that, while not criticizing Baldur’s Gate 3, many players had mixed feelings about the balance in its third act at launch. This likely stemmed from extensive testing of the early and mid-game, which is common in game development, where some issues can slip through until later.

Looking ahead, Sawyer stated, “I don’t think the way we conducted the backer betas for either Pillars title was perfect, but I also don’t believe they were terrible.” He concluded, “I would make more informed choices about resource allocation toward the end of development.”

Additionally, Sawyer mentioned that many at Obsidian are interested in creating a Pillars of Eternity Tactics game after Avowed, although he noted that the “fanbase is not humungous.”