It was originally called ‘Battleground Infinity’ and pitched to 5 publishers, involving mythical gods. Interplay nudged them toward a D&D style RPG.
The rest as they say is history because Baldur’s Gate and what it accomplished in the RPG space continues to have a lingering presence and catapulted BioWare to fame. Thanks to that decision way back when we now have Dragon Age, a spiritual successor.
Plus BioWare are getting to develop an MMO and one that’s based on super cool IP with Star Wars: The Old Republic. It’s the best of both worlds too as it’s an established universe but set way before the movies so the studio can write their own stuff.
Do you still play Baldur’s Gate?