Baldur’s Gate 3 has been in Steam Early Access for nearly 9 months now, but if you were holding out hope we're in the home stretch toward a full release, I have bad news. In a recent interview with GameSpot (thanks to PC Gamer for surfacing the quotes) Larian CEO Swen Vincke officially shot down the possibility of a 2021 release, and it sounds like even 2022 isn’t a sure thing…

　　We are really trying to get the game done by next year. It's not gonna release this year for sure.

　　A bit disappointing, but Baldur’s Gate 3 is hardly the first game to launch in Early Access with goals of getting to a full release relatively quickly, only to get bogged down in details. BG3 is a very complex, ambitious game, it’s going to take some time. As for what we can expect from the game’s next big update, Vincke says it will largely be about addressing issues fans have identified, and thus “more focused on features than it is on new content.”

　　Haven’t been keeping up with Baldur’s Gate 3? Here are the game’s key features:

　　Online multiplayer for up to four players allows you to combine your forces in combat and split your party to follow your own quests and agendas. Concoct the perfect plan together… or introduce an element of chaos when your friends least expect it.Origin Characters offer a hand-crafted experience, each with their own unique traits, agenda, and outlook on the world. Their stories intersect with the entire narrative, and your choices will determine whether those stories end in redemption, salvation, domination, or many other outcomes.Evolved turn-based combat based on the D&D 5e ruleset. Team-based initiative, advantage & disadvantage, and roll modifiers join combat cameras, expanded environmental interactions, and a new fluidity in combat that rewards strategy and foresight.Define the future of the Forgotten Realms through your choices, and the roll of the dice. No matter who you play, or what you roll, the world and its inhabitants will react to your story.Player-initiated turn-based mode allows you to pause the world around you at any time even outside of combat. Whether you see an opportunity for a tactical advantage before combat begins, want to pull off a heist with pin-point precision, or need to escape a fiendish trap. Split your party, prepare ambushes, sneak in the darkness -- create your own luck!Baldur’s Gate 3 is currently available Steam Early Access from, which offers an abbreviated 20-to-30-hour story for a full $60 price tag. A window for the game’s full release has yet to be set.