Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke has recently revealed that almost all the people who were in the original meeting when Baldur’s Gate 3 was approved are no longer working at Wizards of the Coast after the recent layoffs. Considering how positive the Baldur's Gate 3 reviews were, this is very sad news for Dungeons and Dragons fans.
Baldur’s Gate 3 was one the biggest hits of 2023, surprising even its creators with so many glowing reviews and a high player count. The game managed to snatch many prizes at The Game Awards 2023. Baldur’s Gate 3 won the GOTY award, as well as four other prizes, including Best RPG, and Multiplayer.
Baldur's Gate 3 Giving Fans New Ways to Celebrate the Game
In the run-up to the holiday season, developer Larian Studios announces fun new content and more for Baldur's Gate 3 fans to enjoy.
Now, Larian CEO Swen Vincke shared the speec he planned to make at The Game Awards ceremony, which was cut short during the event. Aside from thanking the staff and fans, Vincke commented on the recent Hasbro layoffs, in which over 1,000 people were fired, including employees from Wizards of the Coast, which manages the Dungeons and Dragons brand. Vincke said that he was sorry to learn that almost everyone who was in the original meeting that greenlighted Baldur’s Gate 3 had left the company by now.
While the Baldur's Gate 3 creator did not specify any names of people who were fired recently, it’s already known that several people who worked on the D&D team were let go earlier this week, including even some foundational names who worked on Dungeons and Dragons 5E. The list includes people like Mike Mearls, known as one of the co-creators of Dungeons and Dragons 5E, as well as Breeanna Heiss, who worked as the Head of Publishing and Licensing at the company for 28 years, as well as several artists and designers.
Overall, 2023 has been a mixed year for the gaming industry. While some excellent games were released this year, many companies suffered layoffs, and Hasbro is just the latest of many businesses in the entertainment sector to be hit. For example, Unity announced four layoffs in 17 months, cutting over 250 workers recently. Other companies that laid off employees this year include CD Projekt Red, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, Team 17, Riot Games, and BioWare, which together, have laid off thousands from their staff.
Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 is a Dungeons and Dragons inspired RPG developed and published by Larian Studios. Featuring both a single player and cooperative element, players create their character by selecting a starting class, take on quests, level up, and engage in turn-based combat using the D&D 5th edition rule set.
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Platform(s)
- PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
