Larian Studios lead claims moving on from Baldur's Gate wasn't because of Wizards of the Coast

Vincke stressed that Wizards of the Coast was good to work with, but the move to new projects was best for Larian.

Last week, Larian Studios Creative Director and CEO Swen Vincke confirmed that the studio has moved on from making new Baldur’s Gate content in favor of a new project. That brought on a deluge of rumors that relations may have soured between Larian and Dungeons & Dragons (and by extension, Baldur’s Gate) IP holder Wizards of the Coast. Vincke has come back to say that’s not the case. According to Vincke, Larian and WotC are still on good terms. The move from Baldur’s Gate was just what was best for Larian.

Vincke took to Twitter to share his addendum to relations with Wizards of the Coast and Larian’s next project. According to Vincke, rumors that Larian Studios had a rough relationship with Wizards of the Coast by the end of Baldur’s Gate 3’s development were simply untrue:

Swen Vincke's tweet about Larian Studios' relationship with Wizards of the Coast following Baldur's Gate 3
Swen Vincke rebuffs claims that Larian Studios and Wizards of the Coast relations have soured, claiming there was no hard feelings for the IP holder.
Source: Swen Vincke

There’s little reason to believe Swen Vincke is trying to save face or bury an issue. Larian Studios and Vincke, in particular, has been outspoken about views of the gaming industry, its practices, and how Larian navigates them. Baldur’s Gate 3 was a great success, but when Larian was developing new content for it and thinking about a Baldur’s Gate 4, Vincke claimed the staff’s heart simply wasn’t in it. When he said they’d cancel new work on BG3 and move on, the team was relieved to start on a new project.

It’s a bummer we won’t see new Baldur’s Gate content out of Larian anytime soon, but with so much incredible work done on the game, it will be exciting to see what Larian takes to its next title. Stay tuned as we wait for any announcements or reveals of that that game ends up being, here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.

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