Baldur's Gate 3 won Game of the Year at the DICE Awards last week, and unlike at The Game Awards, the developers were allowed to take some time with their acceptance speech. Larian used that time to address both the current state of the industry and the importance of player experience. Michael Douse, Larian's director of publishing, acknowledged that while this is a really human industry it can also be very bad at showing developers what they're worth. He talked about the layoffs that affected so many people over the past year and how important they are to the future of the industry. Douse said "don't let that flame be extinguished by our collective mistakes." What did we think of Microsoft's soft launch?
"All of your projections are wrong, and it's frightening, but we will continue as an industry, and you will find your place and you will be welcomed back with open arms," Douse said. We will still be making games for the players, and for you, and with these guys. David Walgrave, Larian's head of production, took the mic and said that others probably want to know what the secret to the studio's success is. Last year, I began to wonder what the player wanted in the game. The Baldur's Gate 3 team was given a kick up the backside when someone said something couldn't be done, according to Walgrave. "After that, you own it for the rest of your life," Walgrave said. We have tried to treat people like we would like to be treated, but we don't make decisions where we think this could make us the most money. Building a community, building a player base, building games that are fun is going to make you the most money.
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Larian's words have been praised on social media – and held up in contrast to the recent statement by publishing conglomerate Embracer, which said its "overruling principle is to always maximize shareholder value in any given situation". Studios such as Saints Row's Volition have closed down as a result of Embracer's restructuring programme.