Baldur’s Gate 3 is not «curse» for AAA developers, as some consider the game to be — in fact, it can be more of a help than a hindrance to the creation of future RPGs. Larian CEO Sven Winke spoke about this in an interview with GamePressure during the recent Digital Dragons conference in Poland.
Winke categorically denies that Baldur’s Gate 3 «strikes fear into the hearts of AAA developers». This assessment was first made public on Twitter by developer Xavier Nelson Jr. in July 2023. At that time, he spoke about Larian’s ability to set a new standard for RPG development.
«Larian boss» not only doesn’t believe in this, but also believes that the studio’s activities are a blessing, not a curse, for the rest of the industry. Baldur’s Gate 3 lead writer Adam Smith added: «In every conversation I’ve had with an RPG developer since release, they’ve said, «This is cool because it inspires us».
«I’m sure some of them curse our name behind closed doors,» Smith continues jokingly. «I’m sure they do. But in the bigger picture, Baldur’s Gate 3 shows what can be done».
Smith cites an example of an unnamed developer who told him that Baldur’s Gate 3 gave them «a bit of an edge during their next business meeting. When someone says «is too much», we can say that this has already worked».
As for new RPGs, Sven Winke recently praised a retro-style game Skald: Against the Black Priory. «This is what I’ve been waiting for. I respect her ambition and I like the way it looks», — wrote Winke on Twitter.
Skald is designed in a VGA-style color palette. The pixelated graphics take the player back to an early era of CRPG history — before the heyday of Fallout/Baldur’s Gate in the 1990s, and pays tribute to the forgotten Ultima series. Of course, Skald: Against the Black Priory is a niche product, but the game appealed to one of the people who is now defining what RPGs will be like in the near future.
For PC Gamer Winke commented that although he hasn’t had time to dive deep into Skald yet, «what little I’ve seen already fills me with a deep respect for what Anders and his team have achieved».
«It’s good from the start, which is a real achievement for a role-playing game like this. I’m flying to Los Angeles next week and plan to play it the whole flight. My playtime is limited, so this is probably the biggest compliment I can give».
This isn’t the first time Larian has paid attention to a smaller studio’s project. Back in April, Blasphemous level designer Enrique Colinet said that Larian backed the game with $1000 on Kickstarter (the maximum contribution) without asking for anything in return.