Baldur's Gate 3 / Larian Studios
The author of Baldur’s Gate 3 criticized those who are dooming large single-player games to death again.
This discussion returns with surprising regularity, and each time there are voices that want to bury single-player games. But Larian Studios CEO Sven Winke agrees with this only partially, and his statement did not come out of the blue. He explained that he has heard conversations from «important people in the industry» who claim that big single-player games have no future. And this really worries him.
«That time of the year again when big single player games are declared dead. Use your imagination. They’re not. They just have to be good», — he wrote in X (Twitter).
That time of the year again when big single player games are declared dead.
Use your imagination.
They’re not.
They just have to be good.
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) March 18, 2025
But if you think about it, the more you repeat «single-player games nobody wants» —, the more investors and publishers start to believe in it. This means that fewer studios will receive money to create such projects. As a result, players have fewer and fewer opportunities to try something new where there are no endless microtransactions or «the new picture in the old style».
The creator of Baldur’s Gate 3 didn’t just say that you need to put effort into creating a game. Larian Studios have their own example — their the project has become a real phenomenon, having gained a lot of awards, including «Game of the Year» at The Game Awards 2023. Although Baldur’s Gate 3 supports co-op, its main experience is focused on solo gameplay.
And in general, in 2025, at least one big single hit — Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. In addition, previous years have given us such successful projects as Elden Ring, Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and The Legend of Zelda: TOTK etc. Therefore, it is an exaggeration to say that single-player games are dead, but it is a fact that only high-quality titles get great sales.
After the huge success of Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studios announced that it would not work on a sequel, but will instead develop its own new IP. Meanwhile, Hasbro, the owner of the rights to Dungeons & Dragons, has hinted that Baldur’s Gate will get companions according to the D&D canons.
Source: IGN