All articles tagged with #larian studios
James Ohlen said Hasbro offered Baldur's Gate 4, but Archetype lacked the tools, people, and know-how to match Larian's BG3 standard. Building a new engine from scratch would require at least half a decade, and the risk of disappointing fans plus burnout led him to decline and ultimately leave Archetype.
The Baldur’s Gate franchise is being adapted into a TV series led by Craig Mazin, with Larian Studios not directly involved. The show will take place after Baldur’s Gate 3’s events, drawing on the world’s lore but following new storylines, and Mazin plans to consult with BG3’s cast ideas and have input from Larian as the adaptation moves forward. The IP is owned by Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro).
HBO is developing a Baldur’s Gate TV series that will continue the story of Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3, with The Last of Us co‑creator Craig Mazin serving as creator, writer, executive producer, and showrunner. The show will introduce new protagonists but bring back characters from the game, and Mazin plans to reach out to Baldur’s Gate 3 cast for participation; Larian isn’t involved and a debut date hasn’t been announced. Deadline reports the project, and Mazin emphasizes his fan‑boy enthusiasm for D&D while continuing work on The Last of Us.
Larian CEO Swen Vincke floated the idea of a system to evaluate and review the reviewers themselves, aiming to curb bias and improve accountability in game criticism. The notion sparked a wide online debate about fairness, transparency, and practicality, with supporters arguing for improved scrutiny of outlets and individual critics, while opponents warn of potential abuse, censorship, and the erosion of independent voices. The discussion also touches on existing dynamics like Metacritic weighting, free review codes, and the difficulty of measuring subjective art.
Larian CEO Swen Vincke urged critics to keep reviews critical without being personal or hurtful and suggested a Metacritic-style scoring system for reviewers to encourage restraint and protect sensitive creators. He emphasized respect for developers, acknowledged the value of thoughtful critique, and noted existing evaluation ideas like Rock Paper Shotgun’s TrustPilot page, while warning that toxic online dynamics can harm the industry and its talent.
Remedy pushed back on Larian’s claim that AW2’s finances suffered from missing Steam, saying the Epic publishing deal was fair and that Epic is an excellent partner; AW2 remains an Epic Games Store PC exclusive, and Remedy notes future titles like FBC Firebreak and Control Resonant will launch on both Steam and Epic, signaling a broader publishing strategy beyond AW2’s exclusivity.
Larian Studios’ reveal of a new Divinity game at The Game Awards 2025 has reignited interest in its RPG catalog, with Divinity: Original Sin 2 posting a fresh post-launch Steam peak of 27,409 concurrent players (the best since March 2020) and Baldur’s Gate 3 continuing strong post-launch sales (notable months include Jan 2024 with 297,492 and Apr 2025 with 169,267; current Steam figure around 127,254). Swen Vincke notes continued momentum for both BG3 and D:OS 2, and the studio hints at a Nintendo Switch 2 port and renewed Steam Deck support, signaling broad momentum for its lineup. All figures cited are Steam-only and may undercount totals across platforms.
A senior writer from Larian Studios explains that Wyll's character arc in Baldur's Gate 3 was underdeveloped due to late-stage changes and resource constraints, leading to a less satisfying story compared to other characters, though efforts were made to improve his narrative.
Larian Studios has confirmed it will not use generative AI for creating concept art for the upcoming Divinity game to ensure all art remains original, although it plans to use AI internally to speed up development processes with trained models on its own data.
An informal and humorous interview with Larian Studios' team about their upcoming game Divinity, revealing insights into their work culture, standards, and goals, conducted on a rooftop in Los Angeles.
Larian Studios, known for Baldur’s Gate 3 and the upcoming Divinity game, plans to host an AMA in 2026 to clarify recent controversies surrounding comments on generative AI and workplace conditions, aiming to improve transparency and address industry concerns.
Larian Studios' CEO Swen Vincke faces backlash over his comments on using generative AI in game development, highlighting broader issues of leadership, employee concerns, and ethical considerations in the industry, especially regarding AI implementation and workplace practices.
Larian Studios' CEO Swen Vincke addressed recent controversy over the use of AI in developing the upcoming RPG Divinity, emphasizing the studio's commitment to its core values and announcing an upcoming AMA to clarify their stance and processes involving AI technology.
Larian Studios' admission of using generative AI in tasks like concept art sparked controversy, but fellow developer Daniel Vávra argues AI is an inevitable and beneficial part of modern game development, potentially reducing costs and development time, and enabling more creative freedom. He emphasizes that AI's integration is unstoppable and could revolutionize how games are made, despite ongoing debates and fears.
Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke clarified that the studio is not replacing concept artists with AI, but uses AI tools at early ideation stages to explore ideas and references, emphasizing that human artists still create the final concept art. The studio employs AI to speed up experimentation and stay competitive in the industry, despite concerns about AI's controversial impact on artists and creativity.