Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke admitted that the Baldur’s Gate 3 team had to “tack a bit” during development, meaning staff had to work overtime in order to finish the game on time.
As reported Gaming RadarVincke said at the Digital Dragons conference that the amount of crunch required for Baldur’s Gate 3 was less than the studio’s previous games, however, he believes some extra time is always required to complete the game.
“Definitely less than we did in the past on Baldur’s Gate 3,” Finke said when asked if Larian staff would have to do the processing to finish development. “It would be a lie to say we didn’t do it. Things happened that we didn’t expect.”
Finke insisted that staff, including himself, “didn’t overdo things” but “had to do a bit” to finish Baldur’s Gate 3. Staff always left by 8pm and worked on weekends “very, very, very rarely.” “. he added.
“I think, honestly, you’re always going to have a little bit of time when you’re trying to finish something, especially when there’s a lot of complexity to put together,” Finke said.
Crunch has proven to be a controversial topic in the video game industry, with developers such as CD Projekt Red, the studio behind Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher, coming under fire for imposing mandatory overtime on its employees. The backlash appears to have been heard loud and clear by those in charge, with studio leaders insisting CD Projekt Red has moved away from that modus operandi.
Baldur’s Gate 3, a role-playing game based on Dungeon & Dragons, was a smash hit upon its release in 2023, earning countless Game of the Year awards along with a 10/10 rating from IGN.
“With crunchy tactical RPG combat, an unforgettable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a new high mark for CRPGs,” we said.
Ryan Dinsdale is a freelance reporter at IGN. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day long.
