After Baldur's Gate 3 player painstakingly calculates how much spoken dialogue Larian included in its D&D RPG, director admits they didn't actually know themselves: "Which I think was for the better"

1. Games
2. RPGs
3. Baldur's Gate
4. Baldur's Gate 3

After Baldur's Gate 3 player painstakingly calculates how much spoken dialogue Larian included in its D&D RPG, director admits they didn't actually know themselves: "Which I think was for the better" News By Anthony McGlynn published 9 December 2025

Swen Vincke isn't sure these stats would've been useful to the team

Comments (0) ()

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Larian Studios/PerfectParadox on YouTube)

An entrepreneurial Baldur's Gate 3 player managed to calculate that Larian’s massive RPG contains over 236 hours of recorded dialogue. This amount surprised even the devs, who weren't keeping track, and now the director isn't sure he wanted to know.

Swen Vincke, the CEO of Larian Studios and director of Baldur's Gate 3, responded to the person's stats on Twitter. "We weren't really keeping track which I think was for the better," he says.

Considering the scale of development, I can understand his sentiment. When you're dealing with generating hundreds of hours of gameplay in a huge gameworld, the actual numbers can be a hindrance, because they can make you a little too aware of just how big the project is.

You may like

• Baldur's Gate 3 player does the math, finds Larian's RPG has 236 hours of recorded dialogue, and the character with the most lines is exactly who you'd expect
• Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor thinks putting "the player first over profit" is why the RPG is so successful, urges other devs to do the same: "You're probably gonna sell a s***-ton of copies"
• Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart actor says she would have "absolutely f***ing floundered" if she were cast in Larian's RPG at the start of her career: "It's so overwhelming"

We weren’t really keeping track which I think was for the better https://t.co/ITIW8kP7BjDecember 9, 2025

Within Baldur's Gate 3, you have multiple characters whose spoken lines amount to close to 15 hours. That’s a lot of scripting, editing, and then recording sessions to organize, on top of all the coordination with the acting talent. It's probably less helpful to have the amount of time at all, and instead simply see it in terms of narrative and player choice and the conversations therein.

It's probably especially good there was no time counter for the actors, since knowing you had to lay down over 14 hours of vocal work can be extremely daunting. Jennifer English, who voices Shadowheart, believes she would've struggled with the gig if she'd taken it earlier in her career, because of how in-depth it is.

Nonetheless, having the timescale laid out drives home just how much work went into Larian's award-winning sequel at every level. Baldur's Gate 3 is a generation-defining release, and one that'll be revisited for years and years to come.

Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor thinks putting "the player first over profit" is why the RPG is so successful, urges other devs to do the same: "You're probably gonna sell a s***-ton of copies."

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES PC Gaming PS5 Xbox Series X Platforms PlayStation Xbox Anthony McGlynnSocial Links NavigationContributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Baldur's Gate 3 player does the math, finds Larian's RPG has 236 hours of recorded dialogue, and the character with the most lines is exactly who you'd expect    Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor thinks putting "the player first over profit" is why the RPG is so successful, urges other devs to do the same: "You're probably gonna sell a s***-ton of copies"    Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart actor says she would have "absolutely f***ing floundered" if she were cast in Larian's RPG at the start of her career: "It's so overwhelming"    "I counted every box in Baldur's Gate 3": The real Baldur's Gate 3 completionist is the person who dug through the RPG's code to find every last crate, chest, and barrel    Baldur's Gate 3 director Swen Vincke is "happy" Larian devs talk about "what they did wrong" with their RPGs, but says "they should just chill out" and remember the good things too    With Baldur's Gate 3 still in Steam's top 20 after 2 years, Larian ends 2025 with love for the best mods keeping the RPG thriving: "Give yourselves a pat on the back, have a shot of whiskey"    Latest in Baldur's Gate Baldur's Gate 3 player does the math, finds Larian's RPG has 236 hours of recorded dialogue, and the character with the most lines is exactly who you'd expect    Baldur's Gate 3 Shadowheart actor says she would have "absolutely f***ing floundered" if she were cast in Larian's RPG at the start of her career: "It's so overwhelming"    Baldur's Gate 3 Astarion actor thinks putting "the player first over profit" is why the RPG is so successful, urges other devs to do the same: "You're probably gonna sell a s***-ton of copies"    Baldur's Gate 3 Karlach actor begs people to "please play the indies" as they gear up to star in 7 games coming at the start of 2026 thanks to GTA 6: "You're going to be sick of me"    Baldur's Gate 3 actor reveals Shadowheart's pal Nocturne was more of a "sexy demon" until she "found Nocturne on the spot" in a "girl next door" vibe    Baldur's Gate 3 performance director doubles down on the need for award shows to implement a motion capture category, because "mocap performers just disappear" and "nobody knows about them"    Latest in News After Baldur's Gate 3 player painstakingly calculates how much spoken dialogue Larian included in its D&D RPG, director admits they didn't actually know themselves: "Which I think was for the better"    Frankenstein director Guillermo del Toro sings the praises of James Gunn's Superman and how the DC head "views the universe": "You feel the healing power of goodness from someone that believes in it"    Hideo Kojima shares lengthy review of Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, and it sounds like he's a huge fan: "It's a meta, philosophical film about friendship and growth"    Netflix CEO promises to commit to releasing Warner Bros. movies theatrically after studio sale: "We didn't buy this company to destroy that value"    Crunchyroll is ending its free anime streaming in just a few weeks, so upgrade while you still can    A "full remake" of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2 with "modern gameplay" and an improved ending is "on the road map," according to Lucasfilm Games exec    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Skate Story review: "A beautiful and unique skateboarding game with great, stylized visuals set in a grungy underworld"
2. 2Octopath Traveler 0 review: "The strongest entry in this retro-styled JRPG series yet, I love the greater focus on tactical battles"
3. 3Sleep Awake review: "An all-timer horror premise is let down by tired stealth that I feel like I'm sleepwalking through"
4. 4Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers"
5. 5Routine review: "This imperfect but wonderfully atmospheric moon-based horror leaves a strong impression"

1. 1Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
2. 2Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
3. 3Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
4. 4The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
5. 5Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"

1. 1Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
2. 2Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
3. 3The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
4. 4IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
5. 5Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"