While crunch seems to be less of an issue at major studios these days – whether because of genuine improvements to working practices, outsourcing, or simply good PR – it sometimes feels like just about every classic game of past generations was built out of downright inhumane work schedules. BioWare's classic D&D RPG Baldur's Gate 2 is no exception.
The first Baldur's Gate, which was published by Interplay Entertainment, had been a massive hit, well ahead of any internal expectations. Naturally, that meant that BioWare was soon at work on a sequel. Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn aimed to be bigger and better than its predecessor, with a massive scope encompassing well over 100 hours of gameplay. Of course, planning a game of that scale and actually finishing it in a reasonable time are two very different things.
