Baldur’s Gate 3 CEO Sven Fink said the Covid pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine were the biggest obstacles to the development of Baldur’s Gate 3.
Speaking to Age magazine, Finke discussed how Larian closed a studio in St. Petersburg, Russia, and how he “battled the embassy” to relocate staff.
“I’m thinking about what we would do if this really happened,” Fink said. “So the decision was made immediately: We couldn’t stay there because, as with things like this, you can almost assume there’s going to be a mobilization at some point, and that means that my whole team is going to be mobilized to go there. War.”
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A joint working team was formed from the developer’s studio operations, finance and legal teams to facilitate the handover process.
“They’ve done a great job working day and night to be able to provide a customized solution for each individual to come out of this,” Fink said. “I’m very proud of them for doing this.”
As a result, more than 90 percent of the employees of the St. Petersburg team were transferred to other Larian studios.
“That means we start fighting with embassies and consulates,” Fink said. “It was really complicated.”
It was definitely worth it, but it hindered the development process.
“In a complex machine like an RPG, where everything is connected to everything else, if you suddenly start tearing things apart, everything falls apart,” says Fink. “Because the things that were supposed to be done were not done. It’s not that they didn’t try, but it was very difficult. You can see how it played out towards the end of the development.”
On the positive side, the success of the game has influenced its development due to the many award ceremonies attended by employees.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has won numerous awards, including top honors at the Game Awards, BAFTA Game Awards and DICE Awards
“I think it’s great to have a moment to celebrate, but we still have awards shows to attend,” Fink said. “Because it’s important and we really appreciate it, but it would be great if everyone agreed to do it at the same time.”
While Larian is certainly grateful, Fink said attending the ongoing awards show is “incredibly soul-destroying.” I certainly didn’t expect it. I think we’ve all become more emotional without getting closure. And that’s what you want to get closure at the end of a project.”
“We sent rotating teams so different people went to different awards ceremonies. It affects development — there are a lot of them,” he said. “It was a real problem,” he added with a laugh.
Larian will add modding tools to the game in September. Vinke said at BAFTA last month that it was the ultimate moment of player handover.
“One of the big things for us that we’re working hard on right now is the adaptability of the players [Baldur’s Gate 3] “Self, because then they can make their own stuff,” says Fink. “And I think that’s going to be the point where we’re going to say, ‘OK, it’s yours now.'”
