The Internet Seems To Have Found A Very Familiar Face In Baldur’s Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 is an absolutely massive game, and as such, I've come to terms with the fact that we're simply never going to find every single reference, Easter egg, wink, and nod developer Larian has tucked away within its code. In many ways, there's something exciting in knowing that, despite sinking 400+ hours into the game, there is inevitably going to be something that surfaces and surprises me. That said, I can't say I was expecting anything quite like this "one more thing."

Following a post in which a BG3 player used a camera mod to zoom in on the game's title screen---the caption of which reads, "Who are these people bro?"--going viral, several X users rushed to the comments to suggest exactly who they thought one of the figures showcased might be: Geoff Keighley.

A long-time figure in the gaming industry, these days Keighley is best known as the founder and host of The Game Awards and Summer Game Fest--oh, and the man who the internet briefly thought had "divorced" game developer Hideo Kojima. While it was funny enough to see just how many X users jumped into the comments to suggest the NPC was, in fact, Keighley, the whole situation was made even better when Keighley himself weighed in on it earlier today.

Whether that eyes emoji means Keighley was in on it, or is just as shocked as we are, is anyone's guess. Regardless, it's amusing that Keighley himself sees the similarities. Developer Larian also weighed in on the discussion, responding with a cheeky, "That's John Larian."

Regardless of if this NPC is Keighley, "John Larian," or based on someone else entirely, it's pretty neat that someone went through the trouble of zooming in and giving a face to these once-indiscernible figures. That said, don't expect the return of this guy anytime soon.

According to Larian, the studio is not interested in returning to Dungeons and Dragons' Forgotten Realms--the land in which Baldur's Gate 3 is set. According to CEO Swen Vincke, doing so would be "literally the opposite of what Larian is about." Currently, the studio is hard at work on the next entry in its Divinity series, simply titled Divinity. The game was revealed at last year's The Game Awards, and made quite the stir due to its orgy- and violence-filled trailer.