Baldur’s Gate 3 is a “mega hit” that Hasbro expects to pay dividends for years
Didn’t they just absolutely gut Larian staff?
Larian is independent. They’re not owned by Hasbro. I think Hasbro has done some serious layoffs lately, but I haven’t seen anything about layoffs at Larian.
Larian Studios, the developer of Baldur’s Gate 3, has been “affected” by layoffs at Wizards of the Coast, the company that manages the Dungeons and Dragons brand. The CEO of Larian Studios, Swen Vincke, revealed that almost all the people who were in the original meeting when Baldur’s Gate 3 was approved are no longer working at Wizards of the Coast after the recent layoffs[1][4]. This includes several prominent names from the D&D team, such as Mike Mearls and Breeanna Heiss[1]. The layoffs at Wizards of the Coast were part of a larger trend in the gaming industry, with several other companies also having laid off employees in the same year[1][5]. The impact of these layoffs on the future of Baldur’s Gate 3 and other projects is not yet clear.
Citations: [1] Baldur’s Gate 3 Studio CEO Comments on Hasbro Layoffs https://gamerant.com/baldurs-gate-3-hasbro-layoffs-dungeons-and-dragons/ [2] CEO of Baldur’s Gate 3 dev Swen Vincke says the D&D team … - Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/18j5qjc/theres_almost_nobody_left_ceo_of_baldurs_gate_3/ [3] Baldur’s Gate 3 dev speaks out on Hasbro’s shocking DnD layoffs https://www.pcgamesn.com/baldurs-gate-3/layoffs-comment [4] Larian CEO acknowledges Wizards of the Coasts layoffs in belated The Game Awards speech https://www.eurogamer.net/larian-ceo-acknowledges-wizards-of-the-coasts-layoffs-in-belated-the-game-awards-speech [5] Baldur’s Gate 3 Lead Says “There’s Almost Nobody Left” On D&D Team From First Meetings https://www.thegamer.com/baldurs-gate-3-lead-dd-team-first-meetings-laid-off/
I don’t think they understand.
What made Baldurs Gate 3 great wasn’t DnD it was Larian. Same for BG 1/2 and old BioWare.
You can’t just create that level of care by pumping out lots of games, they’ll probably fill them with MTX or GaaS bullshit to try and get more money from it as well.
We need more Eye of the Beholder and classic Bard’s Tale and classic Wizardry, and less fucking Baldur’s Goddamn JRPG Story-Heavy Bullshit Gate. Story-heavy shit has basically killed gaming. Go watch TV for your fucking story, kids, and leave games alone.
“Boo hoo games have changed it’s all different now story is good blah blah”. Bullshit. Do you want to play chess and every other move have to stop and be forced to watch a part of some fucking medieval war movie? No? THEN WHY DO YOU WANT THIS IN VIDEOGAMES?
