It’s somewhat surreal, but after a near 20-year absence, classic RPG series Baldur’s Gate is back. Divinity: Original Sin 2 developer Larian Studios and Wizards of the Coast announced at E3 2019 that they’ve partnered to bring us Baldur’s Gate 3 as well as usher in a new era for the franchise. We sat down with Larian founder and CEO Swen Vincke and Dungeons & Dragons creative director Mike Mearls during the conference to discuss their partnership, the return of Baldur’s Gate, the pressures of fan ownership, and more.

“It’s been in the works for over two years now,” Vincke says of the game’s development. “We approached Wizards [of the Coast] in maybe late 2016. We all know what it means to the players, what it means to Wizards of the Coast, and what it means to us to be bringing something so precious to everybody’s memory back to the video game space.”

The original Baldur’s Gate, published in 1998 by Interplay, is one of the most influential and popular game franchises in history. Not only is it regarded as one of the best role-playing games ever made, but it’s often credited as the title that revitalized the computer RPG in the late ’90s. It’s no surprise then that the fanbase has remained passionate in the years since the equally beloved Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn launched back in 2000, though few likely expected the series to return after all this time.

Further Reading: The Legacy of Baldur’s Gate