Get the latest tech news

Larian publishing director on mass layoffs: 'None of these companies are at risk of going bankrupt. They were just at risk of pissing off the shareholders'

"We should be humbled by this period. It doesn't feel like we're humbled by this period as an industry."

Though Douse allowed that big publishers are complicated operations that can't react quickly to new demands or market changes, he argued that better planning and leadership could have prevented the worst of what we're seeing, and expressed frustration with how the industry continues with its business as usual in glitzy events like the GDC Awards or BAFTAs: "We should be humbled by this period. Douse pointed to Swen Vincke's leadership, as well as Larian's ability to make risky moves unbeholden to shareholders, as major reasons for the company's success in recent years. Douse and Totilo also discussed how Steam and social media have changed the way games are sold, that consoles are still playing catch-up with PC in that area, and how early access is the way to go for Larian⁠—Douse noted that Larian's "whatever the next thing will be" will likely follow Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 3's release model.

Get the Android app