Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsunami
I don't agree.
Baldur's Gate is its own IP, and it includes/is based on another, namely D&D. I can't do a rewrite of Baldur's Gate, basing it on my very own RPG system and then start selling it. Even if I scrap all D&D characters from it such as Drizzt, Elminster, and references such as Baldur's Gate and Candlekeep, I can't do it because the owner of the BG IP owns its own characters, story lines, and events in the game.
Hasbro/WotC have nothing to do with the IP 'Baldur's Gate', but BG includes the D&D IP owned by WotC. So, the only thing WotC can do, is tell the holder of the BG IP that all older versions based on D&D have to be taken offline, or only sold in conjunction with the new versions.
So if Beamdog would say: "We want to sell the old games separately," then WotC says: "In that case, we don't grant you the use/distribution of the D&D IP." Then Beamdog wouldn't be able to sell any game; not BG, BG2, IWD, old, or new.
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No, Julius is correct. Baldur's Gate, Candlekeep and all of it is part of the Forgotten Realms, which is a game setting and part of D&D and is owned by WotC. All of these locations existed before there was a Baldur's Gate video game. So WotC control everything about the game aside from the game code.
For a similar example, check out Planescape: Torment. They wanted to do a sequel, but do not have the rights to the D&D Planescape setting. So they've had to create a completely new universe. The sequel is a sequel in spirit only:
Torment: Tides of Numenera.