Okay, something just hit me big time, at 20:41, when Swen starts talking about mistakes, and especially mistakes that were being pointed out by early access players. His response is such a contrast with other studios, and I think it really is the single biggest explanation why Larian has the success and goodwill that it does. Their response to being told 'mistake' is light years away from the response you see with other studios, who just look at players and tell them that they're just playing the game wrong, or they just don't understand what they should be thinking. Larian's just like 'Well, we have to listen to our players; they're the whole reason we're doing this', and they're not too proud to make changes. Class act.
I feel like Swen was actually right about the second person narration and I desperately want to play the game he was trying to make-- but I nonetheless appreciate that this aspect of Swen as a game director has on balance led to WAY more good outcomes than bad
@@rrrrthats4rs yeah, me too, actually many of their decisions were amazing players just weren't ready for them, but we don't know how would it influence the production, maybe less variety etc. So it is what it is, amazing game
I like the general argument that players are very good at finding problems, but not always as good at providing solutions. I do think it's possible to 'play the game wrong', but it's often a result of the design failing to communicate the developer's intention properly, and the player's bad experience is valid and something worth addressing. But if you remove that element of design, you also remove a piece of your unique vision, so you have to be very careful to not make a bland product P.S. example: the entire history of world of warcraft and it's redesigns lol
I came round to your way of thinking over time. I think you mean first-person narration? It would have worked for origin characters. But it wouldn’t have worked with Tav, and that was the problem. I remember Sven playing as Astarion with first person narration and thinking “no no no!” But that’s because I was thinking more about Tav than origin characters. I wouldn’t want the story to be told by my Tav voicing his thoughts in the first person. But it’s different for Astarion because he’s a character in that world already. I didn’t invent him. I don’t have ownership of his voice and thoughts in the same way.
@@literallyjustgrass For me it's more that they're actually willing to consider the complaints and actually think about them Contrast that with the total passive-aggressive tone that the Starfield responses had, and it's night and day. When you have that many people saying the same thing, and the response is basically 'You don't understand our Great Vision because you're doing it wrong!' it's not going to endear you to the community. (I personally am usually fine with just accepting something as-is, but I saw some of those comments and responses, and I was shocked that no one was fired over it.)
I love Swen's take on concept art. It's not meant to be the basis for the final end-goal, it's to explore what world and tone and environment you want to experience and not to inhibit that with: 'Well, here's the ONE concept art we did, time to start making it.' I adore Larian so much!
Yeah, I've seen folks fall into the concept trap way too much. Heck i've seen it happen with concept demos, pivoting the direction to better match the demo (never ends well)
i listened to it as a sort of podcast while doing house chores. when did Sven talk about over time and crunch and labour stuff? im rly interested to see how a few game studios still try to give their employees labour rights and work only 8 hours a day unlike most studios where over time is the norm
There is one thing about Larain that I’ve always appreciated is how much they are willing to come down to our level and make a joke about something with us like the Only Fangs video, or the short cartoons
Can I just quickly shout out the interviewer and all the people who came up with the questions. Some of the questions were really good and interesting and the interviewer did amazing with responding and giving the guests room to answer! Well done!
I love that my husband and I (who game side by side) can have different experiences in multiple playthroughs that each of us has not experienced. He or I will hear dialog coming from the other person's computer and be like, "Hey, I did not experience that! What is going on?" It is a fabulous game and all the passion and work they did really shows. I hardly stick to a game, so for me to think about, dream about it...really says something. Wonderful job and I look forward to what Larian Studios puts out in the future.
One of the best videogames I've played in 12 years. We're so privileged to have these creative geniuses at the helm of one is the best videogames we've seen in years
Larian studios deserves all the flowers they've received. They've made imo the best game ever made in BG3. I will be playing this game for years to come.
Came here to say this is the best early access ive ever been apart of! Constant updates, always getting better, and they truly listened to player feedback.
I could say that this game is a masterpiece, a work of love or all those things that have been said millions of time. But when I think of BG3 there is always one thing that comes imediatly to my mind, this is how I felt when I saw the credit. This massive emptiness and this mix sentiment of joy and sadness. This is the first time that I experienced that kind level of emotion just playing a game and I can't thank them enough for that.
I have 1400 hours of gameplay in BG3, these three people are my heros! its 35 work weeks of game play. Nothing has captured my attention since the early days of wow
I'm continuously amazed at how replayable I find it. Like, I've similar hours to you and I've never used any mods or anything, so it's always the same locations, enemy spawns, gear drop locations etc. but I never seem to get bored of it!
I'm approaching 1000 hours. Am currently running act 2 in Ghost of Tsushima, thought I'd hop over to BG3 and fire up a new character for a fresh run (to just get myself all set, get her out of the nautiloid...okay, get her to Emerald Grove...and Withers....) and here I am now in the Gaunlet of Shar and poor Jin in GoT is languishing.
It certainly is the the most ambitious RPG released, I guess, since WoW which was ofc an MMORPG. But BG3 is the first game in a very long time that has such a massive scale, ambition and polishing that I have to look back 20 years to find something resembling it. I have not forgotten The Witcher 2 and 3; they are also up there, really excellent, but I do find BG3 to be a true S+ tier game, The Witchers IMO are A+ or S-.
Baldur's Gate III is the first videogame I've played since the original xbox!!! The two originals were my fave games of all-time back in the day, so I couldn't resist. It didn't disappoint!!!!! Took me 3 mos and 125 hrs to finish. I was a little rusty gaming wise 😂
Post original xbox, what games have been the best? I've been suggested Skyrim, the Witcher and Fallout to play next. I might also try BG1 enhanced edition just to see if it still holds up
Oh no! In past interviews Swen always said his favourite class was Wizard! He's been converted! The Sorcs have taken him! Lol, loved the interview, adore the game, got over 2k hours in it now and haven't even tried any mods or anything, thank you everyone who helped make it for us!
I think what Sven said about having a good feeling was very important. The game doesn't need to be perfect, each game of this size is going to have its problems and will keep having them, but if you have an overall good time, you are willing to forgive small moments of frustration.
I can not thank Sven Vincke and his team at Larian for making Baldur's Gate 3 and making it an AMAZING game! They have proven what can be achieved when you put your heart and mind into a game, and I thank the player base for the recognition. They deserve to be cherished and loved indeed.
Thank you all for this wonderful game. This game has so many story path choices that feel so much more realized than other games that advertise their diverse choices; you all accomplished a herculean task with this game. I will always consider Baulder's Gate 3 as one of the best games I've ever played.
10:19 that statement is so interesting, cause I view Tav *always* as the supporting character. Story wise at least. In this game any random NPC is so well crafted and has more personality and is more interesting than the Tav of a player who doesn't bother with thinking up a backstory. It's so wild to me that crunch/bad working conditions are something considered to be unavoidable especially in creative industries. When like... nobody's gonna die if a movie is delayed by a week, or a game's servers are offline, or a play is cancelled. Not to diminish the impact of art but like... it's not as time sensitive as say, heart surgery? Very interesting, thank you!
You guys nailed the feelings (well everything, but especially the feelings). This game made me feel feelings that no game has ever made me feel on this level. Amazing job.
My canonical story is good Durge. I love it so much, and as a fan of the first 2 games, it really resonates with me as a culmination of all the events and struggles I experienced with my MC in the previous games. That MC, unfortunately, could not achieve what BG3 Durge could achieve. So having this new story and that feeling of redemption just felt so good. Like, 20 years in the making, more than half my lifetime wanting that kind of resolution for this story kinda good. So good.
This was really nice to watch, good questions and interesting answers! Swearing a bit also added a certain charm, ngl. Everyone was really cool! Thank you for the interview and thanks to everyone at Larian for doing a really great job!
BG3 really was such a special work of technical art, its incredible that it exists as it does and didn't go down a different route. What an honor to see the Larian team get to speak here, I'm truly proud of the team for listening and delivering as excellently as they have. I'll be sure to see what they have cookin' next :)
All 4 of these are brilliant. Jane an amazing insider and interviewer as always, Swen showing the difference between a good CEO who cares and gets it vs all these Zazlav style garbage modern CEOs, and the writing and testing and development teams putting in the care and attention and communication and crucially *time* to make it great. Other studios (EA springs to mind for me, can't remember the last game I enjoyed from them) could really change everything they do to learn from this and become a good gaming company again, but they'd still turn it into a money driver DLC machine because they can't help themselves. It's why we should really support and invest in smaller studios and independents etc.
THE BEST part about this game is that it got people who don't normally play "turn based" RPGs, to play the game and enjoy it! This will be a game that I will always remember!
Sven is like any Gamer, once he is immersed in a game, he eats and drinks that game, which means his mind is filled with the New Game he is making and that is great. That is why he is done with Baldur's Gate
he's been on this project for like 6-8 years or so, it's normal he wants to do new refreshing ideas and stuff. Probably had cool ideas from year 1 but couldnt work on them until now.
I’d say “done” rather than “fed up”. He can be blunt and matter of fact and I appreciate that about him. I’m also beyond excited to hear about their next project. Here’s hoping they do an extended EA again.
Such a great interview! Thanks for the upload. :) I only started playing BG3 like two month ago - my partner played Divinity II before and I was only praising the music and optics of the game. I eventually started with BG3 because I loved the idea of creating my own character with a diverse background and then go exploring the fantasy world. Haven't finished the game yet but I will definitely play Divinity II afterwards. Looking forward to any projects by Larian Studios!
Baldur's Gate 3 is what can happen when the leaders of a game studio are actually gamers. Also, Jane Douglas did a great job of hosting; her questions were terrific.
I love these guys and everyone at Larian. Completed 3 play throughs before I took a break to play other games, but I can’t wait to do a 4th play through on the anniversary of the game :)
It's a sad state of affairs when a studio like Larian is the exception and not the rule.. Can't wait to experience their next game, whatever it will be!
The best kind of interviewer, where they are engaged in the conversation through the questions they ask but then they sit back and let the subject matter expert speak.
I love this team of game creators. I got the game when it released and could not get into it. The combat for me was just not working. I knew the game was good, just not my cup of tea I guess. One day I went to my buddies house and he was playing the game with another friend, they were doing an evil playthrough. I watched them play for about 3 hours and it made me give it another whirl. I am now 40+ hours into it and loving it. When I beat Baldurs gate Im going to go and check out Divinity Original Sin 2. Cant wait to see what they put out next. I will absolutely be part of early access whenever that is a thing. I wish them all the best.
Yo! I’m on my first playthrough and Sven just described my character: Dark Urge, Dragonborn, sorcerer! I absolutely love this game. Thankyou Larian for pouring your heart and souls into this masterpiece for us to enjoy. As a player, I’ll forever return the favor and give my support to a studio who’s willing to do that.
Oh Sven, oh sven - you did everything amazingly good. Your company and you made a game so good that i have a hard time playing other titles because they feel so bland in comparison. I got my golden dice - move on to your next idea - i wanna play it. Is Baldurs gate just good because of super high AAAA quality? - No, but it adds to it. (you are in Rockstar Land now) Was the writing good - YES!!!!! - Presentation? Perfect! That is how a story should be told. Make it with nicely drawn pictures and it works out almost the same. (not the same we know that) I know it was a risk and super hard to pull off. But even a step smaller would be super good. All the best for Sven and his great Larian Studios all over the world.
That's a very mighty dream, son! Becoming a big group of talented people! Nice, I believe in you! You can start by figuring out how to replicate yourself, much like some microorganisms do! Hahaha.
They deserved all the prizes they’ve won, they’ve built a masterpiece. It’s the first time I play a game for such a long time, I’m still playing it after almost a year and 480 hours of gameplay…and I’m still seeing new content 🫶🏻
i played through BG3 twice. and both times i saw some congruency bugs or discrepencies that didnt quite work. But when you try to make something as complicated as BG3, i think most players know how impossible a task it is to make that perfect. Making something interesting and impressive is more important than making something perfect.
only game i have ever played where all the choises i did in the game felt like my own choices, and no matter what direction i took there was allways a way out. Amazing game 170 hours of gaming and not a single minute of boring content
I wish they had gone with the self narration of the story, it would have been so interesting, but at the same time I love the narrator and would need her to have her own origin character so I could enjoy her wonderful performance.
Jaheira's concept art and final version are pretty similiar compared to her protrait in BG 2. But if you look at her portrait in the FIRST game... boy that was some real change.
If I had to guess, she's talking about the post-launch model change of the act 2 cat "His Majesty". He was a hairless sphynx cat at launch, a bit after launch they changed his model and gave him fur probably so that he wasn't the same type of cat as the other cat in act 2. The change met a fair bit of resistance and they reverted His Majesty to being a sphynx cat.
Personally, I assumed it was the "slithering wet malice"/Franc Peartree letter. (Honestly, I get why they wanted to REVISE it to better fit the writing style, but changing it wholesale was a really weird choice for sure.)
Never mind what they said in the beginning - Swen and company will be talking about this game for the rest of their lives. "Hey, I know it's been decades since it happened but would you mind saying a few more words about the time you were on top of the world?" "OH FINE, if you insist."
"I want to move on: I want to make new things." Heck yes: if Larian can do this well with Baldur's Gate 3, who knows just how awesome their next game will be?!?
Obviously Sven wants to put this behind them and I understand that. He must be tired of saying the same thing over and over again. Yet I think it would be a mistake to say ok people you won't see or hear us for the next 4 to 5 years. There has to be some contact to keep the fans interest. Otherwise people will drift away and say well we can forget about them until 2029 or 2030 and the entire landscape for video games might change likely will change. So we need to still know Larian still exist and they are still hard at work and that will be hard if we just get dead silence.Just my opinion.
I'd rather hear why they decided to make Baldur's Gate 4, but, alas, that's probably not going to happen. Good luck to any studio who end up developing the sequel - BG3 is such a landmark game, IMO, that it'll be an impossibly tough act to follow. I've first played the game over a year ago and recently started another run (my 7th or 8th one, IIRC) and I'm still not done with this title. At this point, it's almost like comfort food to me... :D
We need to focus on closures for the characters so it feels good for the player….. in the meantime astarion runs alone from the sun, burning alive and my Tav nor any other dum dum in my lvl 12 team lifts a finger to help…. I didnt know whether to cry or shout at those morons when it happened :/
there is a whole epilogue post patch5 of closures, it has been there since the end of 2023, there won't be any content further but astarion running in the sun tells me you haven't played epilogue yet check it out
Baldur's Gate 3 isn't overrated in the least, it deserved all its praise. One of the best games I've ever played.
@@beethovenlivesupstairs4182 Spiderman 2 stan spotted
The way it made me feel as an adult was the way Super Mario RPG made me feel as an 8 year old.
I hadn’t felt that child-like wonder in almost 30 years
Okay, something just hit me big time, at 20:41, when Swen starts talking about mistakes, and especially mistakes that were being pointed out by early access players. His response is such a contrast with other studios, and I think it really is the single biggest explanation why Larian has the success and goodwill that it does. Their response to being told 'mistake' is light years away from the response you see with other studios, who just look at players and tell them that they're just playing the game wrong, or they just don't understand what they should be thinking. Larian's just like 'Well, we have to listen to our players; they're the whole reason we're doing this', and they're not too proud to make changes. Class act.
I feel like Swen was actually right about the second person narration and I desperately want to play the game he was trying to make-- but I nonetheless appreciate that this aspect of Swen as a game director has on balance led to WAY more good outcomes than bad
@@rrrrthats4rs yeah, me too, actually many of their decisions were amazing players just weren't ready for them, but we don't know how would it influence the production, maybe less variety etc. So it is what it is, amazing game
I like the general argument that players are very good at finding problems, but not always as good at providing solutions. I do think it's possible to 'play the game wrong', but it's often a result of the design failing to communicate the developer's intention properly, and the player's bad experience is valid and something worth addressing. But if you remove that element of design, you also remove a piece of your unique vision, so you have to be very careful to not make a bland product
P.S. example: the entire history of world of warcraft and it's redesigns lol
I came round to your way of thinking over time. I think you mean first-person narration? It would have worked for origin characters. But it wouldn’t have worked with Tav, and that was the problem. I remember Sven playing as Astarion with first person narration and thinking “no no no!” But that’s because I was thinking more about Tav than origin characters. I wouldn’t want the story to be told by my Tav voicing his thoughts in the first person. But it’s different for Astarion because he’s a character in that world already. I didn’t invent him. I don’t have ownership of his voice and thoughts in the same way.
@@literallyjustgrass For me it's more that they're actually willing to consider the complaints and actually think about them Contrast that with the total passive-aggressive tone that the Starfield responses had, and it's night and day. When you have that many people saying the same thing, and the response is basically 'You don't understand our Great Vision because you're doing it wrong!' it's not going to endear you to the community. (I personally am usually fine with just accepting something as-is, but I saw some of those comments and responses, and I was shocked that no one was fired over it.)
The host is good. She lets them speak and her questions show she's knowledge about DnD and BG3
Not sure if you're aware, but the host is Jane Douglas from Outsidexbox, they've had their own DnD campaign.
I love Swen's take on concept art. It's not meant to be the basis for the final end-goal, it's to explore what world and tone and environment you want to experience and not to inhibit that with: 'Well, here's the ONE concept art we did, time to start making it.' I adore Larian so much!
Yeah, I've seen folks fall into the concept trap way too much. Heck i've seen it happen with concept demos, pivoting the direction to better match the demo (never ends well)
its not exactly an original take is it, its just part of the art/design ideation process.
The way Sven talks about crunch and overtime etc is exactly how the rest of the industry should be. keep it up.
i listened to it as a sort of podcast while doing house chores. when did Sven talk about over time and crunch and labour stuff? im rly interested to see how a few game studios still try to give their employees labour rights and work only 8 hours a day unlike most studios where over time is the norm
@@Noodle-Ninja 33:18 onwards
Super excited for their next game
Me too!
Next gameS. Last i heard they are making 2 new games.
Divinity 3
There is one thing about Larain that I’ve always appreciated is how much they are willing to come down to our level and make a joke about something with us like the Only Fangs video, or the short cartoons
I attended this live, it was so well put together and engaging. Thanks so much for arranging the event and for the swift upload!
How long ago was this??
@@sammycooke5830 two weeks ago!
Can I just quickly shout out the interviewer and all the people who came up with the questions. Some of the questions were really good and interesting and the interviewer did amazing with responding and giving the guests room to answer! Well done!
Jane from OutsideXbox. Their channel is absolute gold. Every one of them is smart, funny
I love that my husband and I (who game side by side) can have different experiences in multiple playthroughs that each of us has not experienced. He or I will hear dialog coming from the other person's computer and be like, "Hey, I did not experience that! What is going on?" It is a fabulous game and all the passion and work they did really shows. I hardly stick to a game, so for me to think about, dream about it...really says something. Wonderful job and I look forward to what Larian Studios puts out in the future.
One of the best videogames I've played in 12 years. We're so privileged to have these creative geniuses at the helm of one is the best videogames we've seen in years
starts frantically googling games released in 2012
Mass Effect 3?
Elden Ring would like a word :P
@@ctg4818 BG3 is light years beyond Elden Ring.
@@EloyBushida They're completely different games, both the best RPGs in their respective subgenres in recent years.
Larian studios deserves all the flowers they've received. They've made imo the best game ever made in BG3. I will be playing this game for years to come.
19:39 damn it is wulbren
Came here to say this is the best early access ive ever been apart of! Constant updates, always getting better, and they truly listened to player feedback.
I could say that this game is a masterpiece, a work of love or all those things that have been said millions of time. But when I think of BG3 there is always one thing that comes imediatly to my mind, this is how I felt when I saw the credit. This massive emptiness and this mix sentiment of joy and sadness. This is the first time that I experienced that kind level of emotion just playing a game and I can't thank them enough for that.
I have 1400 hours of gameplay in BG3, these three people are my heros! its 35 work weeks of game play. Nothing has captured my attention since the early days of wow
I'm continuously amazed at how replayable I find it.
Like, I've similar hours to you and I've never used any mods or anything, so it's always the same locations, enemy spawns, gear drop locations etc. but I never seem to get bored of it!
I'm approaching 1000 hours. Am currently running act 2 in Ghost of Tsushima, thought I'd hop over to BG3 and fire up a new character for a fresh run (to just get myself all set, get her out of the nautiloid...okay, get her to Emerald Grove...and Withers....) and here I am now in the Gaunlet of Shar and poor Jin in GoT is languishing.
It certainly is the the most ambitious RPG released, I guess, since WoW which was ofc an MMORPG. But BG3 is the first game in a very long time that has such a massive scale, ambition and polishing that I have to look back 20 years to find something resembling it. I have not forgotten The Witcher 2 and 3; they are also up there, really excellent, but I do find BG3 to be a true S+ tier game, The Witchers IMO are A+ or S-.
Just finished my first run after 180 hours. It was a 1 year journey but I really liked it. And thank you for supporting modding
Baldur's Gate III is the first videogame I've played since the original xbox!!!
The two originals were my fave games of all-time back in the day, so I couldn't resist.
It didn't disappoint!!!!!
Took me 3 mos and 125 hrs to finish. I was a little rusty gaming wise 😂
took me 200 hours+ to finish my first playthrough o0 You dont seem rusty at all. ;)
In recommend DISCO Elysium friend, another modern masterpiece crpg.
I'm at 130.2 hours and haven't finished it yet lol
Post original xbox, what games have been the best? I've been suggested Skyrim, the Witcher and Fallout to play next.
I might also try BG1 enhanced edition just to see if it still holds up
Who was your favourite companion in Baldur's Gate 3?
Astarion, because his backstory and journey to finding himself was just so AMAZING ❤
None, but i can tolerate Karlach
Astarion by far, his humor made the game way more fun. Too bad his writer left Larian.
Astarion is the best one IMHO
Astarion
Oh no!
In past interviews Swen always said his favourite class was Wizard! He's been converted! The Sorcs have taken him!
Lol, loved the interview, adore the game, got over 2k hours in it now and haven't even tried any mods or anything, thank you everyone who helped make it for us!
I think Swen is happy as long as he can blow up stuff with fireballs....one of the other devs let that slip in an interview once.
The Dark Urge is a sorcerer by default so probably that’s why he chose that class.
I just love how all humble and down to earth and oh just such awesome people! Would love to grab a beer with these guys!
BG3 is my 2nd favorite CRPG, just behind Planescape Torment! Both have great side characters, story and action!
I think what Sven said about having a good feeling was very important. The game doesn't need to be perfect, each game of this size is going to have its problems and will keep having them, but if you have an overall good time, you are willing to forgive small moments of frustration.
38:10 Swen is the Dark Urge himself!!!!!!
"Wretched thing; pull yourself together"
@@bek0hmsford lmao
@@bek0hmsford "And don't say the word 'poop' at the top of your lungs"
....
"I am the conductor of the POOP TRAIN!"
I can not thank Sven Vincke and his team at Larian for making Baldur's Gate 3 and making it an AMAZING game! They have proven what can be achieved when you put your heart and mind into a game, and I thank the player base for the recognition. They deserve to be cherished and loved indeed.
Thank you all for this wonderful game. This game has so many story path choices that feel so much more realized than other games that advertise their diverse choices; you all accomplished a herculean task with this game. I will always consider Baulder's Gate 3 as one of the best games I've ever played.
10:19 that statement is so interesting, cause I view Tav *always* as the supporting character. Story wise at least. In this game any random NPC is so well crafted and has more personality and is more interesting than the Tav of a player who doesn't bother with thinking up a backstory.
It's so wild to me that crunch/bad working conditions are something considered to be unavoidable especially in creative industries. When like... nobody's gonna die if a movie is delayed by a week, or a game's servers are offline, or a play is cancelled. Not to diminish the impact of art but like... it's not as time sensitive as say, heart surgery?
Very interesting, thank you!
You guys nailed the feelings (well everything, but especially the feelings). This game made me feel feelings that no game has ever made me feel on this level. Amazing job.
Now I can't rest before someone visualizes Swens character. 38:05
Thanks for a great show!
I agree that “crunch” should be viewed as a last resort and not the standard in the gaming industry. Well done!
My canonical story is good Durge. I love it so much, and as a fan of the first 2 games, it really resonates with me as a culmination of all the events and struggles I experienced with my MC in the previous games. That MC, unfortunately, could not achieve what BG3 Durge could achieve. So having this new story and that feeling of redemption just felt so good. Like, 20 years in the making, more than half my lifetime wanting that kind of resolution for this story kinda good. So good.
This was really nice to watch, good questions and interesting answers!
Swearing a bit also added a certain charm, ngl. Everyone was really cool!
Thank you for the interview and thanks to everyone at Larian for doing a really great job!
... swearing? you mean.. talking?
@@DellikkilleD no
BG3 really was such a special work of technical art, its incredible that it exists as it does and didn't go down a different route. What an honor to see the Larian team get to speak here, I'm truly proud of the team for listening and delivering as excellently as they have. I'll be sure to see what they have cookin' next :)
All 4 of these are brilliant. Jane an amazing insider and interviewer as always, Swen showing the difference between a good CEO who cares and gets it vs all these Zazlav style garbage modern CEOs, and the writing and testing and development teams putting in the care and attention and communication and crucially *time* to make it great.
Other studios (EA springs to mind for me, can't remember the last game I enjoyed from them) could really change everything they do to learn from this and become a good gaming company again, but they'd still turn it into a money driver DLC machine because they can't help themselves. It's why we should really support and invest in smaller studios and independents etc.
THE BEST part about this game is that it got people who don't normally play "turn based" RPGs, to play the game and enjoy it! This will be a game that I will always remember!
Awesome interview. Would have like to hear a lot more from Crystal.
Sven looks like hes fed up with the game, and in my opinion thats a great thing because hes focused on his next project, and i want to play that lol.
Sven is like any Gamer, once he is immersed in a game, he eats and drinks that game, which means his mind is filled with the New Game he is making and that is great. That is why he is done with Baldur's Gate
he's been on this project for like 6-8 years or so, it's normal he wants to do new refreshing ideas and stuff. Probably had cool ideas from year 1 but couldnt work on them until now.
I think he is fed up with Wizards of the Coast, and who would blame him.
I’d say “done” rather than “fed up”. He can be blunt and matter of fact and I appreciate that about him. I’m also beyond excited to hear about their next project. Here’s hoping they do an extended EA again.
Big “Michael Jordan after his first three championships” energy.
Which bodes well for his next project
Such a great interview! Thanks for the upload. :)
I only started playing BG3 like two month ago - my partner played Divinity II before and I was only praising the music and optics of the game. I eventually started with BG3 because I loved the idea of creating my own character with a diverse background and then go exploring the fantasy world. Haven't finished the game yet but I will definitely play Divinity II afterwards. Looking forward to any projects by Larian Studios!
Baldur's Gate 3 is what can happen when the leaders of a game studio are actually gamers. Also, Jane Douglas did a great job of hosting; her questions were terrific.
This was a lovely discussion, loved everyone on the "panel" including Jane Douglas hosting.
I love these guys and everyone at Larian. Completed 3 play throughs before I took a break to play other games, but I can’t wait to do a 4th play through on the anniversary of the game :)
Larian reminds me of BioWare of old. Cannot wait to see what they're cooking on next!
Will we get the voice actor panel too? Please? Please please?
Yes! Very, very soon!
So glad Swen is focused in the future, so glad to see anything he is dreaming up and now he has plenty fo resources to use with the BG3 success!
Wow, love to see Jane leading such a wonderful interview!
It's a sad state of affairs when a studio like Larian is the exception and not the rule.. Can't wait to experience their next game, whatever it will be!
That which is exceptional remains exceptional even if the middle tiers improve.
Such an amazing game these guys worked so hard on this masterpiece and deserve every honor 😊
Hopefully we get early access of their next game in a few months. Can't wait! :D
What a great interviewer!
One of the crew over on Outside Xbox if you're interested in more content w/ them
The best kind of interviewer, where they are engaged in the conversation through the questions they ask but then they sit back and let the subject matter expert speak.
I love this team of game creators. I got the game when it released and could not get into it. The combat for me was just not working. I knew the game was good, just not my cup of tea I guess. One day I went to my buddies house and he was playing the game with another friend, they were doing an evil playthrough. I watched them play for about 3 hours and it made me give it another whirl. I am now 40+ hours into it and loving it. When I beat Baldurs gate Im going to go and check out Divinity Original Sin 2. Cant wait to see what they put out next. I will absolutely be part of early access whenever that is a thing. I wish them all the best.
Yo! I’m on my first playthrough and Sven just described my character: Dark Urge, Dragonborn, sorcerer! I absolutely love this game. Thankyou Larian for pouring your heart and souls into this masterpiece for us to enjoy. As a player, I’ll forever return the favor and give my support to a studio who’s willing to do that.
so.. you went default huh?
So clear Larian consists of gamers loving games and gamers
Thank you for sharing and uploading for us all ❤.
Oh Sven, oh sven - you did everything amazingly good.
Your company and you made a game so good that i have a hard time playing other titles because they feel so bland in comparison.
I got my golden dice - move on to your next idea - i wanna play it.
Is Baldurs gate just good because of super high AAAA quality? - No, but it adds to it. (you are in Rockstar Land now)
Was the writing good - YES!!!!! - Presentation? Perfect! That is how a story should be told.
Make it with nicely drawn pictures and it works out almost the same. (not the same we know that)
I know it was a risk and super hard to pull off. But even a step smaller would be super good.
All the best for Sven and his great Larian Studios all over the world.
can't wait to play early access for their new project!!
I think Larian actually IS who I want to be when I grow up.
That's a very mighty dream, son! Becoming a big group of talented people! Nice, I believe in you! You can start by figuring out how to replicate yourself, much like some microorganisms do! Hahaha.
Durge is Swen's self insert, canonical.
They deserved all the prizes they’ve won, they’ve built a masterpiece. It’s the first time I play a game for such a long time, I’m still playing it after almost a year and 480 hours of gameplay…and I’m still seeing new content 🫶🏻
i played through BG3 twice. and both times i saw some congruency bugs or discrepencies that didnt quite work. But when you try to make something as complicated as BG3, i think most players know how impossible a task it is to make that perfect. Making something interesting and impressive is more important than making something perfect.
I’ve never been into crpgs but fell in love with bg3. I’m on 400+ hours and now with mods support the replay ability is endless.
I think we all owe Larian for all the good things Baldur's Gate 3 is.
I find it very cool that Larian went back in time and got a young Rob Halford to come and write for them, what a guy
only game i have ever played where all the choises i did in the game felt like my own choices, and no matter what direction i took there was allways a way out. Amazing game 170 hours of gaming and not a single minute of boring content
I wish they had gone with the self narration of the story, it would have been so interesting, but at the same time I love the narrator and would need her to have her own origin character so I could enjoy her wonderful performance.
The further the interview stretches, it suddenly came to me that a certain game studio (which starts with B_______) needs to watch this.
Jaheira's concept art and final version are pretty similiar compared to her protrait in BG 2. But if you look at her portrait in the FIRST game... boy that was some real change.
15:22 I wish Chrystal could go back in time 14 years and have a word with Casey Hudson
I'm so glad they were so successful and their philosophy and company culture proved viable!
Please make more of this, talking with Devs and voice actors is amazing!
legends. thank you for the unforgettable experience!
WOW
Swen said his character would be exactly the character I created for my first run
anyone knows what it Chrystal referring to at around 29:24
about the change post launch
If I had to guess, she's talking about the post-launch model change of the act 2 cat "His Majesty". He was a hairless sphynx cat at launch, a bit after launch they changed his model and gave him fur probably so that he wasn't the same type of cat as the other cat in act 2. The change met a fair bit of resistance and they reverted His Majesty to being a sphynx cat.
Personally, I assumed it was the "slithering wet malice"/Franc Peartree letter. (Honestly, I get why they wanted to REVISE it to better fit the writing style, but changing it wholesale was a really weird choice for sure.)
Great interviewer, great questions. I was surprised that she was well versed in DnD mechanics.
She's a member of the TH-cam channel "Outside Xbox" that also has a D&D series on top of a bunch of gaming content.
Baldur's Gate 3 and Elden Ring are the pinnacle of what modern games should be.
Drow monk, chaotic good. That's literally just my first Tav I ever made. well, he was more chaotic neutral but he did mostly good things.
'bones of the scene flow' is a cool thing to say.
Praise, King Swen!!!
Never mind what they said in the beginning - Swen and company will be talking about this game for the rest of their lives.
"Hey, I know it's been decades since it happened but would you mind saying a few more words about the time you were on top of the world?"
"OH FINE, if you insist."
So glad we could respec the entire party if we want.
Gale as a wild magic barbarian walking around with bare chest and roaring is hilarious.
"I want to move on: I want to make new things." Heck yes: if Larian can do this well with Baldur's Gate 3, who knows just how awesome their next game will be?!?
Better yet - if it's a new IP then they won't be restricted by the world-building and systems set in the Baldur's Gate universe.
Thank you for sharing this!
BG3 and the developers attitude is what's gonna make me insta buy their next games, without any hesitation.
Great writers, great voice actors
My main character was support in my first play through. I just buffed and reincarnated corpses. 😅
jANE??!
sick
BAFTA must have kidnapped her from Outside Xbox.
All the accolades are deserving for Larian.
I was losing my mind trying to figure out where I knew the hostess from.
She used to host Outside Xbox!
She still does!
This is what made me click the video lol
In Larian I trust ❤
Obviously Sven wants to put this behind them and I understand that. He must be tired of saying the same thing over and over again. Yet I think it would be a mistake to say ok people you won't see or hear us for the next 4 to 5 years. There has to be some contact to keep the fans interest. Otherwise people will drift away and say well we can forget about them until 2029 or 2030 and the entire landscape for video games might change likely will change. So we need to still know Larian still exist and they are still hard at work and that will be hard if we just get dead silence.Just my opinion.
Apparently you were right on in the money with the new channel they just created.
Go, Jane!
Beautiful
really disappointed that Sven wasn't wearing armor! ;P
I'd rather hear why they decided to make Baldur's Gate 4, but, alas, that's probably not going to happen. Good luck to any studio who end up developing the sequel - BG3 is such a landmark game, IMO, that it'll be an impossibly tough act to follow. I've first played the game over a year ago and recently started another run (my 7th or 8th one, IIRC) and I'm still not done with this title. At this point, it's almost like comfort food to me... :D
Go Jane!
Jane!? What are you doing outside of Outside Extra
Loved Baldur's Gate 3 but watching this for Jane Douglas more than Larian lol. Outsidexbox! So cool to see Jane out in the world.
Sven has a somewhat Tiefling like complexion.
hahaha noticed it too
Best gamedevelopment studio on the planet.
I'm glad they are moving on from Balders gate but I'm really gonna miss Lae'zel
We need to focus on closures for the characters so it feels good for the player….. in the meantime astarion runs alone from the sun, burning alive and my Tav nor any other dum dum in my lvl 12 team lifts a finger to help…. I didnt know whether to cry or shout at those morons when it happened :/
there is a whole epilogue post patch5 of closures, it has been there since the end of 2023, there won't be any content further
but astarion running in the sun tells me you haven't played epilogue yet
check it out
the could cast darkness on him, right? ;P