We expected Baldur's Gate 3 to launch into Early Access in August, probably. Maybe. Hopefully, at least: Larian CEO Swen Vincke said in June that the studio was pushing hard to make it, but the COVID-19 pandemic could slow things down.
"We've been hit like everybody else in the world," he said at the time. "Nonetheless, we managed to make a lot of progress, so we think we're going to make it."
With August now upon us, Larian has been forced to reconsider Vincke's optimism. The studio announced on Twitter today that it won't make the August Early Access release, but that it's "just around the corner." The proper release date, and other "big news," will be revealed on August 18 in the "Panel From Hell," which will feature Vincke, Geoff Keighley (of course), and members of the Larian development team.
Good news and bad news. BG3 won’t hit August, but it’s just around the corner. We’ll be announcing the release date, as well as big news on the Panel From Hell alongside @geoffkeighley, @LarAtLarian and the Larian crew. Tune in Aug 18th. https://t.co/S1RlVpJ8yw pic.twitter.com/NCkrnHHpH0August 4, 2020
The Panel From Hell will be viewable on Larian's Twitch channel and the Summer Games Fest channel on YouTube. There's also a countdown ticking away at baldursgate3.game, but there's a solid two weeks on it so you probably don't need to start staring at it just yet. Instead, you can direct your attention to the latest Baldur's Gate 3 update, which breaks down some of what you can expect from combat and stealth when the Early Access launch takes place.