"You're lacking in wisdom," declared the head of Baldur's Gate 3, criticizing the decision of certain studios to dismiss indispensable technical artists, and furthermore stated, "we're keen on welcoming them to join our team."
Swen Vincke, the leader at the helm of Baldur's Gate 3's creation by Larian, has openly critiqued the recent trend of workforce reductions within the gaming industry, particularly highlighting how the removal of key departments and experienced developers is extremely myopic.
In an exclusive talk with Eurogamer, Vincke shared insights on preserving the valuable expertise that seasoned developers bring, humorously (yet earnestly) suggested that "simply not letting them go" serves as a basic solution. He elaborated that although it’s unrealistic to retain all employees indefinitely due to unavoidable circumstances, it's feasible to "preserve a significant amount of experienced personnel by showing them due respect."
"Observing the current spate of job eliminations, my reaction to certain dismissals was one of disbelief," he conveyed. "Such individuals represent a wealth of knowledge within their organizations. This highlights a significant disconnect, as decisions are seemingly made based on spreadsheets alone, without recognizing the tremendous loss incurred. This oversight will undoubtedly prove costly in the long term - a fact they are yet to realize. It will undoubtedly lead to significant expenses."
Particularly, Vincke highlighted the critical role of technical artists. "Consider this: learning about a team of technical artists being let go was astonishing. Speaking as a developer: to dismiss your technical artist shows a lack of judgment," he stated. "They are instrumental in defining your production pipeline, which in turn influences your asset costs. They possess a profound understanding of your games - this is especially true for the veteran ones. It's utterly illogical. In any event, they have an open invitation to join our ranks."
While Vincke did not disclose the identities of these individuals, it's clear that Larian is eager to integrate them into their team as they transition from working on Baldur's Gate 3 and look beyond the realm of D&D, focusing on developing a new, significant project that will pave the way for an even grander ambition lurking in Vincke's mind.
Larian was contemplating Baldur's Gate 4, yet realized that D&D 5E wasn't compatible with "our innovative ideas for new combat mechanics we wished to experiment with."