When you have a game as successful as Baldur’s Gate 3, which has undoubtedly made gaming history, you’re going to hear about it for a while. It’s inevitable.
Sure, your average consume will see it on ‘Top 10 RPGs’ lists, social media discourse, and the like. However, it’s the same for the game’s developers, who can’t move on to bigger and better things. As Larian CEO Swen Vincke reveals, it can take a serious toll on one’s mental health.
Baldur’s Gate 3’s Success Is a Double-Edged Sword
The success of Larian’s latest release wasn’t an overnight one. From early access to its full release, it was gradual and very reliant on the good word of fans who didn’t miss an opportunity to praise the game and recommend it to others.
Certainly, Larian’s hard work paid off. The new Baldur’s Gate has made its way to the gaming hall of fame. Even aside from all the awards it has won, just looking at the way people talk about it shows how it’s carved a seat in many a heart.
While there are a lot of positives to be gained from this, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.
In an interview with Edge Magazine (and reported by GamesRadar), Larian CEO Swen Vincke revealed that all of the attention was too much at times.
Because of the sheer amount of awards the game was winning, Vincke had to resort to sending “rotating teams” to collect the awards each time. It affected development and became a real problem, according to him.
This isn’t to say that he’s not appreciative of the recognition, which is quite the opposite. In a vulnerable moment, he explains that all of the attention is “surprisingly draining on the soul.“
Larian CEO Vincke Wants to Move On
Not only does it affect development when you keep having to send critical teams away to accept rewards, but it also takes a very serious mental toll on not just you, but your staff. As Vincke puts it:
…we’ve all been more emotional because we can’t get closure. And you want to have closure at the end of a project.
On multiple occasions, Vincke and his team have stated that they’re ready to move on to a completely new project, away from Dungeons & Dragons altogether (hence, no Baldur’s Gate 3 DLC).
While it’s not known what the upcoming project is going to be about, Vincke has shared that there’s a lot of conceptualizing and ideation going around.
To have this process disturbed by the success of your previous project being so completely overwhelming is something unique and not spoken about much. As much as Larian tries to move on, it feels impossible at this stage.
What are your thoughts about Vincke’s statement? We’d love to hear your thoughts about it in the comments below!
