Despite some real competition among huge titles like Starfield, Diablo IV, and many more, Baldur’s Gate 3 came out on top as Game of the Year in 2023.
However, due to the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, many AAA and indie titles suffered a lot. Some of these games even had to reschedule their release dates to avoid clashes with the Larian Studios RPG. In this regard, Larian CEO Swen Vincke has expressed his regret.
After Baldur’s Gate 3, Swen Vincke Wants to Avoid the Cascading Effect
In a recent interview, Vincke regretted the loss other titles have faced due to the stature of Baldur’s Gate 3. According to him, there is a game called Stray Gods, which had to move its release date to avoid tussling with BG3. He explained: “They had to move their release date as a result of us. It was this cascading effect, right?”
Many studios have faced a similar situation, but the most affected ones seem to be indie developers. They struggled a lot to breathe in the release phase of BG3, and according to Vincke, “it sucks.” This is how the CEO depicted the situation:
I think there’s room for a lot of games, but you don’t want them to come out at the same moment in time. You need to try to get a little bit of wiggle room.
And it’s hard because it’s oversaturated in games. So, yeah, I’m well aware that that is the case, and I apologize, actually. It happened to us, so I know exactly how that feels.
Vincke further expressed that he understands the frustration and believes a solution to avoid this “cascading effect,” is for developers to be more about release windows for upcoming titles.
In this way, there are fewer chances an individual title will suffer a loss due to the overwhelming availability of major titles at the same time.
The Vision of Swen Vincke Has Not Changed
Swen Vincke, or rather, Larian Studios as a whole, is very different when it comes to its thought process. This leading video game development company has always maintained a workstyle, and other companies see this studio as a role model.
Vincke himself has a strong desire for the team not to grow. He has also explained the reason for his strange feeling:
“The teams have told me in extreme detail why we needed to grow, so there’s that fight going on right now. I’m actually the one who is trying to hold it back.
Vincke thinks it’s abnormal to just gold rush and focus on financial results. That’s why Larian will never make 40 or 50 games at the same time.
And that is the sole reason why gamers are not going to see any Baldur’s Gate title or DLC regarding this game ever again. Larian will now be moving on to something new.
The acknowledging words from the CEO Swen Vincke have won the hearts of the gaming community. What do you think about his perspective? Let us know in the comment section below!
