In the landscape of game development, many decisions are made, and some are discarded for various reasons. These plans sometimes affect the final products players get to enjoy. Usually, all decisions are made with careful thinking and discussion with the team.
However, some decisions are regretted by the studio after the release of the game. One such thing happened to Swen Vincke, the CEO of Larian Studios. He explained how his decision to optimize Baldur’s Gate 3 for the Stadia was not ideal and faced some unexpected delay.
Underestimating the Deal’s Impact on Baldur’s Gate 3 Development
In an interview, Swen Vincke discussed various aspects of the gaming industry and the challenges they faced in their journey to release Baldur’s Gate 3. However, one particular decision that stands out the most was his deal to deal with Google Stadia.
He loved the technology and was excited about what the future of cloud gaming would look like. But he didn’t expect the work his whole team had to put in. Due to this, the development process was delayed a bit and put the engineers under a lot of stress. His exact words were:
I thought the technology, the promise of the technology and what we saw before – so two years before it being revealed – was great. So I said, “If that works, I want to be on board”. So I don’t regret that part. The bit that I regretted is that I underestimated what an impact it was going to have on our own development itself.
Vincke said he and his team were confident about the engineering part as they just completed another project “We just finished Divinity: Original Sin 2 on console. So I said, “Hey, we can do this!” But this was before I actually understood exactly how far we were gonna go in the refactoring of our engine.
Larian Studios is known to be committed to delivering great gaming experiences and always plans for the future. This regret from Vicke showed the complexities and challenges when making decisions at the highest levels of game development.
Larian Studios’ Commitment to Quality and Innovation
Despite this unexpected setback, Baldur’s Gate 3 has enjoyed widespread acclaim since its release. The game has captivated players with its engaging narrative, strategic gameplay, and stunning visuals.
The game’s success serves as a testament to Larian Studios’ dedication to quality. Even in the face of challenges, they maintained their composure and did not let the unforeseen challenge affect the work balance of their team too much.
Vincke said if they didn’t face the unexpected extra work, it would have been a great deal. While regrets may linger, Vincke and his team remain focused on shaping the future of gaming, one innovative adventure at a time.
