Larian CEO denies that moving on from Baldur’s Gate was due to Wizards of the Coast conflict

25.03.2024 - 13:31 / videogameschronicle.com / Chris Scullion

Larian Studios CEO Swen Vinke says the decision to move on from the Baldur’s Gate series had nothing to do with Wizards of the Coast.

Wizards of the Coast is the owner of the Dungeons & Dragons IP, which the Baldur’s Gate series is based on.

However, despite the enormous critical and commercial success of the latest entry Baldur’s Gate 3, Vinke said last week that Larian was moving on from the Dungeons & Dragons universe to try its hand at something else.

Vinke’s comments led to speculation online, particularly on Reddit, where it was claimed that the decision was down to a falling out between Larian and Wizards of the Coast.

To address this, Vinke – who also directed of Baldur’s Gate 3 – has now taken to X to dismiss these theories, saying there are no hard feelings and that Larian just wants to do something new.

“Reading the Reddit threads, I would like to clear up something,” he wrote. “[Wizards of the Coast] is not to blame for us taking a different direction.

“On the contrary, they really did their best and have been a great licensor for us, letting us do our thing. This is because it’s what’s best for Larian.”

Speaking at GDC last week, Vinke said Larian has no plans to make DLC, expansions or a sequel to Baldur’s Gate 3.

“We are a company of big ideas,” he explained. “We are not a company that’s made to create DLCs or expansions. We tried that actually, a few times. It failed every single time. It’s not our thing. Life is too short. Our ambitions are very large.

“Baldur’s Gate will always have a warm spot in our heart. We’ll forever be proud of it but we’re not going to continue in it. We’re not going to make new expansions, which everybody is expecting. We’re not going to make Baldur’s Gate 4, which everybody is expecting us to do.

“We’re going to move on. We’re going to move away from D&D and we’re going to start making a new thing.”