Larian Publishing Director Michael Douse called games industry layoffs an 'avoidable f*ck up' in a new interview, touting what he says is the Baldur's Gate 3 dev's healthy and sustainable work environment.
Are game journalists just hanging out at Larian studios every single day now? Like, I get it. I’ve heard their opinions on this and a couple other things relentlessly since BG3 came out.
More likely they’ve been inundated for years with complaints from developers in the big studios about how fucked they feel, and they feel the industry has gone to hell with microtransactions, so they keep on propping up Larian as an antidote to the general rot.
Not sure it will make a difference until big studios games stop selling, some government intervention in the microtransactions (likely) or work conditions (unlikely), developers unionize properly, or the field is seeded with more studios like Larian so that more developers and gamers have more choices and the big studios are starved.
Are game journalists just hanging out at Larian studios every single day now? Like, I get it. I’ve heard their opinions on this and a couple other things relentlessly since BG3 came out.
They have free coffee and croissants in the mornings and their chairs are decadently plush.
Maybe you’re used to seeing news filtered through the eager throats of big publishers…?
More likely they’ve been inundated for years with complaints from developers in the big studios about how fucked they feel, and they feel the industry has gone to hell with microtransactions, so they keep on propping up Larian as an antidote to the general rot.
Not sure it will make a difference until big studios games stop selling, some government intervention in the microtransactions (likely) or work conditions (unlikely), developers unionize properly, or the field is seeded with more studios like Larian so that more developers and gamers have more choices and the big studios are starved.
It feels more like the Onion reposting the same article about mass shootings with nothing but the date changed.
Every time there’s another layoff announced we should turn to someone else at Larian and ask their opinion.