Larian Studios
Documents about Larian Studios
Baldur’s Gate 3 Revenue and Performance Analysis: August 2023
This analysis examines the commercial performance and market reach of Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 during August 2023.
- Baldur’s Gate 3 was the highest-grossing game across PC and console platforms in the US and UK during August 2023, surpassing Diablo IV.
- The title achieved a 13.8% engagement rate among gamers across 37 international markets, with players averaging 30 hours of gameplay.
- The game generated 48 million hours of viewership across major streaming platforms including Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook Gaming.
PlayStation Portal / Ubisoft Gets Microsoft’s Streaming Rights / NetEase Expansion
The global gaming industry is currently undergoing a period of significant structural realignment, characterized by shifting development strategies, complex regulatory concessions, and aggressive international expansion.
- Microsoft has transferred the cloud streaming rights for Activision Blizzard’s entire portfolio to Ubisoft for a 15-year term to satisfy UK regulatory requirements.
- Baldur’s Gate 3 achieved over 5.2 million PC sales, signaling strong consumer demand for premium RPGs that do not utilize microtransactions.
- NetEase is aggressively expanding into Western markets by acquiring and building AAA studios to move beyond its traditional mobile-centric model in China.
Latest #BelgianGamesIndustry Survey: More Companies Staffed by Less People
The 2020 Belgian Games Industry survey, conducted between June and September 2020, provides a comprehensive overview of the local gaming ecosystem, encompassing developers, publishers, service providers, and educational institutions.
- The number of active game companies in Belgium grew from 95 to 114, yet total full-time equivalent (FTE) employment remained stagnant at 1,100, indicating that new companies are operating with smaller teams.
- Total industry turnover dropped to €70 million in 2020, down from €93 million the previous year, largely due to the release cycle of major player Larian Studios.
- The Belgian game sector is highly fragmented, with 84% of companies employing between 1 and 10 people and 25% operating as one-person entities.
Continuous Growth and Future Challenges: Belgian Games Industry Survey 2019
The 2019 Belgian Games Industry survey highlights a period of sustained growth and maturation for the national sector, characterized by an increasing number of established studios and rising total turnover.
- The Belgian games industry reached a record turnover of €93 million in 2018, though this growth remains heavily dependent on the international success of Larian Studios.
- The industry has grown to 95 total companies, representing a 32% increase since 2015.
- The sector is maturing, with over 50% of companies founded more than three years ago and 36% operating for five years or longer.
The Making of Divinity: Original Sin 2
The development of Divinity: Original Sin 2 represents a pivotal transition for Larian Studios, as the company scaled from a single 40-person team in Belgium to a 200-employee international operation.
- Larian Studios scaled from a single 40-person team to a 200-employee international operation, necessitating a 'follow-the-sun' workflow to maintain productivity and reduce crunch.
- The 'n+1' design philosophy, which required the game to account for every possible player action including the killing of essential NPCs, resulted in a script exceeding one million words.
- The studio transitioned from a decentralized, overly collaborative leadership model to a centralized review process to resolve conflicting documentation and scope creep.