Building a Community Isn’t Just For Indies

But then there’s Larian, a well-established studio, who had funding. They had the Baldur’s Gate IP and they didn’t “need” to build a community early, but they understood their responsibility, and saw the opportunity, so they chose to. And they did it properly.

They dropped Baldur’s Gate 3 into Early Access in 2020. They weren’t afraid to show the early stages and empower players to co-develop the game. And then they stuck with it, for 3 years they co-developed. Players, or “audience”, became participants.

So what exactly did they do so well?

1. They treated feedback like fuel: They didn’t try to please everyone , they listened with intention. They looked for patterns, understood what really mattered, and weren’t afraid to make bold changes based on that. People felt heard, rather than pandered to.
2. They shared the journey, not just the results: Regular dev updates, long-form breakdowns, even livestreams showing bugs in action. It wasn’t polished marketing , but rather honest storytelling. It made fans feel like they were inside the studio with the team as co-creators.
3. They embraced the chaos: Players started stacking barrels, abusing turn orders, breaking systems in brilliant ways , and Larian didn’t shut it down. They highlighted it and celebrated it. That told the community: “This is your playground too.”
4. They kept things human: The tone of updates was funny, self-aware, and sometimes a bit messy , in a good way. You weren’t getting corporate statements, but you were getting real talk from a studio figuring things out with you, not just a community manager, but all the way to the top.
5. They people a reason to care: The more players saw themselves reflected in the development process, the more they invested emotionally. Fan art, memes, theories, full-on TikTok romances with Astarion ; you don’t get that unless people feel ownership.

The results were magnificent, of course:

• One of the most successful PC game launches ever
• Game of the Year 2023
• A studio that people now trust on a whole different level

It’s another piece of proof that community building isn’t about budget or studio size. It’s about trust, transparency, and actually treating players like they matter. And when you do it well, your game will benefit massively.