Jim Southworth, the Cinematic Animation Lead for Baldur’s Gate 3 has passed away. This was announced on Larian Studios’ Twitter. It is a sad day for the industry, to have lost someone who helped do something that was literally groundbreaking, and only just began to get the awards it deserved.
As the tweet announced, Southworth was the lead for cinematic animation, and he was darn good at it. Anyone who has played the game would agree that everyone on this project gave their blood, sweat, and tears to it. This was undoubtedly one of, if not the, best game ever made. It swept the Golden Joystick Awards and will, without a doubt, sweep The Game Awards.
Southworth came in as the Art Lead in March 2019 and then transferred to the team at Larian to his role as Cinematic Animation Lead in February 2021. There’s no doubt that he wanted to create something special, but it is doubtful whether he knew what kind of impact he would leave. It’s clear he loved the Gaming Industry enough to give so much of himself to Baldur’s Gate 3.
He passed seeing his work change gaming forever. Comparing games to Baldur’s Gate 3 almost feels unfair. It has the same influence and breathtaking appeal as the original Baldur’s Gate whose standard is still used today for RPGs. There is no doubt that Southworth knew he had built something that would last decades, as seen in the reviews for Baldur’s Gate 3.
Southworth got to reach heights that most people dream of reaching. It is even greater than saying “I worked on Skyrim,” because no one seems to dislike Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s well-loved everywhere.
We’d like to send our condolences to the team at Larian and the family and friends of Jim Southworth. He lived an incredible life and achieved heights that I never thought were possible. Thank you for supporting Southworth as he helped give this industry something we will likely never forget.
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