Baldur's Gate 3 studio lead explains the formula for success in the games industry

In a speech at The Game Awards 2024, Larian boss Swen Vincke delivered a critique of the modern video games industry while underlining the push-pull dynamics of publisher-developer relationships. Gaming isn't in the best place right now, and while the industry has raked in around $184 billion in 2024, global growth is flat . So how do you make it in the tough market? Swen Vincke, the boss of Baldur's Gate 3 developer and Game of the Year winner Larian Studios, shares the secret for success.

It's really all about passion and respect across the entire product stream, from software development to publisher distribution and then eventually end-user play. Selling a bunch of copies really lies in a team's passion and skill, but also the fine and often precarious relationships between the funding publishers and the critical, but spend-happy, creatives. At TGA 24, Vincke delivered an interesting speech that laid out some basic principles: respect developers and gamers, limit intrusive monetization, see video games as creative experiences rather than a means of boosted revenue.



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