Larian chief: Our games won't hit subscription services

Swen Vincke, head of Larian Studios, has reaffirmed the studio's stance against releasing their games on subscription services. Despite Ubisoft's subscription boss Philippe Tremblay's comments encouraging a shift in consumer mindset towards game ownership, Vincke strongly opposes such a model. He believes subscription services would harm developers and limit game discovery for players. Vincke emphasizes the importance of maintaining a direct route from developers to gamers, voicing concerns over the potential selective nature of subscription services controlling which games get produced. This move aligns with his previous declaration that Baldur's Gate 3, a highly anticipated Larian title, would not feature on services like Game Pass, reiterating that all Larian games will avoid subscription platforms, although he acknowledges that such models can benefit some developers.

Swen Vincke from Larian Studios argues that avoiding subscription services ensures that the relationship between developers and players remains direct and unfiltered. It also helps prevent a scenario where only a handful of subscription services dictate the market by deciding which games are produced, essentially safeguarding creative freedom and diversity in game development.

Baldur's Gate 3 is the third installment in the critically acclaimed Baldur's Gate series, a role-playing game series that has significantly impacted the RPG genre and is renowned for its deep storytelling and complex mechanics. Inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing system, the series has been pivotal in bringing the depth of tabletop gaming to computer RPGs. Baldur's Gate 3 has been highly anticipated by fans who are expecting its intricate narratives and challenging gameplay to follow in the footsteps of its successful predecessors.