Editing Baldur's Gate (section)

==Cancelled games==
=== ''Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound'' ===
''[[Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound]]'' (code named ''Jefferson'' and ''FR6'') was mentioned in early 2001 as a new game in the ''Baldur's Gate'' series to be made by [[Black Isle Studios]] using a new 3D engine.<ref name="banshee">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/theblackhound1.php |title=The Black Hound Interview |author=Jon "Buck" Birnbaum |work=Gamebanshee |date=February 13, 2007 |access-date=September 15, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205122510/http://gamebanshee.com/interviews/theblackhound1.php |archive-date=February 5, 2010}}</ref> The game was originally announced in 2002 and was said to have used the 3rd Edition ''Dungeons & Dragons'' ruleset. Many new gameplay features were also going to be added to fit the 3rd Edition Ruleset better, and elements from the ''Dark Alliance'' series would have also been borrowed. The game used the Jefferson Engine which featured 3D effects such as casting dynamic shadows.

''The Black Hound'' was originally going to be a departure from the high-powered epic of the Bhaalspawn saga to a low-key, role-playing plot. With protagonists progressing to around level four at the end of [[Black Isle Studios]]' typically large campaign and a hard cap at level eight, gameplay was refocussed to adventure, with emphasizing quests over combat. The game was only titled ''Baldur's Gate'' due to [[Interplay Entertainment|Interplay]] having lost the general ''D&D'' license to [[Atari, Inc. (formerly GT Interactive)|Atari]], but still retaining the right to make ''Baldur's Gate'' and ''Icewind Dale'' branded ''D&D'' games (the same reason as for ''[[Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (series)|Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance]]''{{'}}s title).<ref name="banshee" /> The game was not going to be connected to the previous ''Baldur's Gate'' series in any way and would start a new series, the ''Black Hound'' series. It was to be a sequel in terms of gameplay and not story, although it would have continued some aspects of the ''Icewind Dale II'' story.

Development on ''Baldur's Gate III: The Black Hound'' was cancelled in 2003 and the third game in the ''Dark Alliance'' series was also cancelled in 2004 when Black Isle Studios was closed in the same year by parent company [[Interplay Entertainment|Interplay Entertainment Corp.]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/interplay-shuts-down-black-isle-studios/1100-6085243/|title=Interplay shuts down Black Isle Studios|last=Thorsen|first=Tor|date=December 12, 2003|website=GameSpot|access-date=September 18, 2018|archive-date=June 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610203225/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/interplay-shuts-down-black-isle-studios/1100-6085243/|url-status=live}}</ref> The engine for ''The Black Hound'' was re-purposed for the development of the similarly ill-fated ''[[Van Buren (Fallout 3)|Van Buren]]'' project, the working title for the eventual ''[[Fallout 3]]''. The game was 75% finished before it was canceled. Its cancellation happened due to Interplay losing the right to publish ''Baldur's Gate'' games on the PC yet retaining the ''Baldur's Gate'' name for consoles; the result of this was ''Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II''.

In an interview with Winterwind Productions, ''Black Hound'' developer Damien Foletto revealed the story and setting of the game, which would have been in the Dalelands. The player character would have been resting at their campsite when a woman chasing a Black Hound crashes in; she kills the hound, which dies on the player character 's lap. Accusing the player character of being in league with the dog, she is about to kill the player character as well, but the Riders of Archendale arrive and scare her off before questioning the player character. After a brief inquisition, the local magistrates tell the player character not to wander far because they may have more questions. The player's quest would involve finding out who the mad cleric was, what this has to do with them, why a black spirit hound follows them around, and why people can not leave the player character alone and do things for themselves instead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.winterwind-productions.com/gaming/foletto_pt2/ |title=Damien Foletto on Baldur's Gate 3, The Black Hound, Fallout 3, Van Buren, Black Isle Studios |work=Winterwind-productions.com |access-date=October 15, 2013 |archive-date=April 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200401050457/http://www.winterwind-productions.com/gaming/foletto_pt2/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Atari stated in December 2008 in a press conference that the ''Baldur's Gate'' series (among others) would be revisited after 2009.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=323024 | title=Atari to revisit Baldur's, Test Drive | author=Tom Bramwell | date=December 2, 2008 | access-date=January 5, 2009 | website=EuroGamer | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081216015254/http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=323024 | archive-date= December 16, 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> As a personal side project, Sawyer continued work on ''The Black Hound'' as a module for ''[[Neverwinter Nights 2]]'' for a time.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://the-black-hound.com/blog/?p=36 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426081046/https://the-black-hound.com/blog/?p=36 | archive-date=April 26, 2009 | title=regular work interferes | author=Josh Sawyer | work=The Herald of Archenbridge: The Black Hound Blog | date=January 25, 2009}}</ref>

=== ''Baldur's Gate 3'' by Overhaul Games ===
After finishing the Enhanced Editions of ''Baldur's Gate'' and ''Baldur's Gate II'', Overhaul Games announced to develop ''Baldur's Gate 3'' with funding from Kickstarter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/03/20/former-bioware-developer-making-baldurs-gate-3-a-long-term-goal |title=Former BioWare Developer Making "Baldur's Gate 3" A Long-Term Goal |work=Crunchyroll |date=March 20, 2012 |access-date=October 15, 2013 |archive-date=January 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140112082844/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/03/20/former-bioware-developer-making-baldurs-gate-3-a-long-term-goal |url-status=live}}</ref> The studio later clarified their ''Baldur's Gate'' game to be a separate game from ''The Black Hound''.<ref>{{cite twitter |author=Trent Oster |user=TrentOster |number=195534536350765056 |title=@kunikos @jesawyer I think Josh is doing well over at Obsidian. If a #BG3 were to happen we would go another direction than the Black Hound |date=April 26, 2012 |access-date=October 15, 2013}}</ref> Game developer Trent Oster suggested [[Thay (Forgotten Realms)|Thay]]<ref>{{cite tweet|user=TrentOster|author=Trent Oster|number=213497024635604993|date=June 15, 2012|title=Hmm, Thay. I like Thay. Might have to do something there sometime in the future.}}</ref> and [[Waterdeep (city)|Waterdeep]]<ref>{{cite tweet|user=TrentOster|author=Trent Oster|number=213455923421777921|date=June 15, 2012|title=I think Waterdeep could be a fun setting. The Forgotten Realms has a ton of interesting locales all waiting for game-making}}</ref> as possible settings for the game. Beamdog began calling the game ''Baldur's Gate Next'' as a way to differentiate it from the Bhaalspawn Saga.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nowgamer.com/news/1727903/baldurs_gate_3_could_happen_just_not_like_you_expected.html |title=Baldur's Gate 3 Could Happen, Just Not Like You Expected |work=NowGamer |date=December 17, 2012 |access-date=October 15, 2013 |archive-date=January 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123163619/http://www.nowgamer.com/news/1727903/baldurs_gate_3_could_happen_just_not_like_you_expected.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

Overhaul Games and Beamdog eventually lost the rights to develop further ''Baldur's Gate'' games and the license was later acquired by [[Larian Studios]], the Belgian developer behind the ''[[Divinity: Original Sin]]'' series. Their project, ''[[Baldur's Gate 3]]'', was unveiled in 2019 and released four years later.