D&D: ‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Had No DLC Because It Would Have Been “Boring” According To Larian CEO
A new interview with Larian CEO Swen Vincke gives a look into the lifecycle of Baldur’s Gate 3, and why passion matters.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has shown everyone what exactly is possible when you decide to commit yourself to doing good things, even if they’re hard. It is safe to say they’ve hit a grand slam with it, considering the game is still soaring in popularity a full two years after its official release. That success has come without any DLC; and in a new interview, Larian CEO Swen Vincke explains the reasoning beind that.
Swen Vincke Talks Baldur’s Gate 3 and DLC – “Happy Developer For a Happy Player”
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game that’s been collecting acclaim and awards like a pokemon trainer who’s just finished stomping Professor Oak’s nephew into the ground. And for good reason, as anyone who’s played it can attest. It is a playground that draws you in and keeps you coming back again and again. Success that has come without any add-on DLC, either. Every major update has come to anyone that bought the game without having to pay extra.
In a new interview, Larian CEO Swen Vincke explains that it’s all about keeping it fun for both players and developers. And traditional DLC would have been boring.
“[DLC]’s boring, is really the honest answer. We tried to be in the DLC business, talked about that with BG3… there’s just no passion. I mean, happy player, happy busiess, but you also need a happy developer for a happy player. What we’re doing now makes developers way more happy.
We heard it’s what we were supposed to do, you know: huge game, huge hit and you’re gonna make DLC this and DLC that and DLC there, the money’s gonnapi le up! You think ‘yeah we’ll just make some DLCs’ but then the moment that we had some time to think you realise ‘what are we doing?'”
Which is great to hear, honestly. You can feel the caret hat Vincke and the other devs have for the work they’re making. They are setting out to make a good game, not make a big return on an investment. And that’s the key difference. People can tell. They can always tell. And in the long term, it’s going to keep Larian leagues ahead of major studios who’ve lost sight of that.
Of course what Larian is up to now is still a tightly kept secret. The popular studio’s next project is a mystery—it is something that is ramping up into full production, though. I’m sure we’ll see it soon enough. All we know for sure is that it’s not Baldur’s Gate 4. Anything else will have to wait.
Gather your party before venturing forth!
