At Sony’s February 23 State of Play presentation, Larian revealed the precise launch date of our most anticipated game of 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3. It also revealed the casting of veteran character actor J.K. Simmons as General Ketheric Thorn, one of its main antagonists and “a seemingly invincible necromancer leading an army of the dead toward the city of Baldur’s Gate.”

The August 31 release date is in line with the general August 2023 window we got with the reveal of fan-favorites Minsc and Jaheira. The reveal of Simmons’ involvement is particularly exciting to me. He’s an absolute master of the goofy (Burn After Reading, Spider-Man) as well as the sinister (Whiplash, Invincible), so he’s a great fit for Faerun and Larian’s by-turns whimsical and deadly-serious storytelling.

In a Steam community update, Laraian also revealed that BG3 will have full Mac-PC-PS5 cross-save at launch, a feature that eventually came to Divinity Original Sin 2. Baldur’s Gate 3 will also have local split screen co-op, and Larian outlined the goodies included in its digital deluxe and physical limited editions.

Even just following Baldur’s Gate 3’s long early access from afar, I’ve gotten used to the look of its first act. It’s honestly a bit of a thrill to see locales and characters from later in the game, and weirdly enough the granular details of its pre-order bonuses are helping its impending launch feel more real. If you’re looking for more info on Larian’s upcoming epic, check out our guide to everything we know about Baldur’s Gate 3.