Larian's publishing manager has commented on the volatility in the gaming industry and claims that games do not have to have a broad appeal to succeed. He also shoots back to the belief that all games must be free to play, and that players are willing to spend money for a game as long as it is good.
This comes after the Xbox rolled out another wave of layoffs, which results in the cancellation of studio and games. Many in the industry have been critical of this and speak against the obsession with short -term success and Xbox's Push to a subscription -based model with Game Pass.
Players want good games, not necessarily free games, says Larian's publishing manager
This latest criticism comes from Michael Douse, head of publishing at Larian, best known for Baldur's Gate 3.
“I think one of the basic misunderstandings is the idea that players want” free games “. They want good games.” You can't avoid this being a hit -based industry. The problem is that there is not enough thoughtspace for the amount of games that would be hits. Therefore, the majority cannot be hits, even if they are good. “
Although it sounds like the industry is doomed to failure, Douse has some practical advice on how companies can increase their odds of success. “If you have an audience and hyperfocus on your niche, you don't have to be a traditionally high point to succeed,” he claims. “Broad does not necessarily mean successful. Agricultural simulator will survive us all.”
He also follows studios to “buy a bunch of developers and Churn content”, which can apply to any number of giants in the industry. We have really seen this with Activision Blizzard, which was then purchased by Microsoft. And so there is Sony, who has its own problems with their live -service -efforts.
When it comes to what can translate into success, it is very possible that this is what has worked for Larian. Baldur's Gate 3 was a monumental success, and it was without dampening RPG elements for a wider audience. It turns out that many players were pleased to learn the D&D mechanics and give turn-based battle a chance.
When it comes to the presence of the free to play model, there is also a certain truth. Fortnite dominates the industry as an F2P title, but it is also a very good game. We also see this type of huge success with Minecraft, which has a pricing company. On the back there are some who feel that Concord would have had a better shot if it was F2P, since other heroic shooters are now (namely Overwatch 2, and after the Concord disaster, Marvel -Drivals). But it's all hypothetical – there is a very real chance that it would not have helped things to be available free.
Meanwhile, many devs have been left out of work thanks to Microsoft's layoffs. We still see the fall, but in any case it is clear that the industry is not in a good place.
- Date founded
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1996
- Head office
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Ghent, Belgium
- Known for
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Baldur's Gate
