Company News Call of Divinity? Larian plans to release RPGs annually from three different studios

[Western]

Too bad, I liked Larian.

 

[Morality Games]

What sci-fi rpg would that be?

The one I can only presume they are making. The public appetite for fantasy RPGs may be stronger than naysayers suggest but I doubt they are making three fantasy games.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

My guess is Sven figures that the best advantage he gain over the other indie companies is releasing games that scratch a lot of itches before anyone else does. Realistically, are you going to *not* buy Larian's sci-fi RPG during the whatever number of years it takes for Obsidian or inXile to get around to making one?

By the time InExile and Obsidian get around to make one, I probably still won't find motivation to finish D:OS after getting bored out of my ass in the 3rd act.

The 'second wave' of Kickstarter RPGs needs to dramatically improve to keep me interested. As much as I love this genre, its way too fucking time-consumiing of a hobby to waste my time on mediocrity. InExile did reactivity right, Larian did the combat right, but otherwise they've both cocked up nearly everything else. Obsidian at least put out a fairly solid overall package, but there's nothing they really did exceptionally.

 

[abnaxus]

This is obviously going to end well.

 

[Metro]

He's a week late for April's Fools.

 

[Morality Games]

My guess is Sven figures that the best advantage he gain over the other indie companies is releasing games that scratch a lot of itches before anyone else does. Realistically, are you going to *not* buy Larian's sci-fi RPG during the whatever number of years it takes for Obsidian or inXile to get around to making one?

By the time InExile and Obsidian get around to make one, I probably still won't find motivation to finish D:OS after getting bored out of my ass in the 3rd act.

The 'second wave' of Kickstarter RPGs needs to dramatically improve to keep me interested. As much as I love this genre, its way too fucking time-consumiing of a hobby to waste my time on mediocrity. InExile did reactivity right, Larian did the combat right, but otherwise they've both cocked up nearly everything else. Obsidian at least put out a fairly solid overall package, but there's nothing they really did exceptionally.

Perhaps, but players will have too change too. If Codexers keep measuring every release against whatever metric of perfection exists inside their head every gaming experience is going to be a disappointment.

 

[naossano]

I am also worried by their plan to release one game each years.
You have to let them want more games, keep them waiting and waiting, so they would pay the full price when the game they want finally come true.
If you keep releasing those games with a too high rate, this becomes predictable and you might lose part of your audience.

 

[Aenra]

The 'second wave' of Kickstarter RPGs needs to dramatically improve to keep me interested. As much as I love this genre, its way too fucking time-consumiing of a hobby to waste my time on mediocrity ... there's nothing they really did exceptionally.

You might want to adjust your expectations. You do not pledge for a D:OS KS campaign hoping on a breakthrough in story quality or presentation. Just as you do not pledge in a PoE campaign in the hopes of getting a combat system akin to JA2's. You have every right to demand the moon and stars, but none (i would think, just me) to criticise people when they fail to deliver them to you. Better is always good, basing your expectations upon nothing concrete is not.

InExile did reactivity right

Ah, ok.. my fault.
Moving on the weather..

players will have too change too. If Codexers keep measuring every release against whatever metric

No. YOU might need to change. The rest of us had to adjust, wait and remain critical. And it paid off. Your way would bring us back to the shit we swam in for the last decade, exceptions aside. Yes, i know how you meant it.
But the more we push, the less they can afford to remain complacent. So think again
Do not confuse Codex thread bitching with the games' actual reception.

 

[MicoSelva]

It is hard to judge the expansion decision without knowing behind-the-scenes numbers, although Swen's GDC talk has shown he is not afraid to take financial risks - to put it mildly.

An in case he reads this thread: I am still interested in working for Larian, Mr. Vincke. I can move to Quebec or even St. Petersburg*, no problem. Please?

*as long as the work environment is in English, because I have not used French or Russian in more than a decade

 

[I'm Big Into Anal]

oh my GOD a business expanding due to success whatever shall we do

 

[Volrath]

Larian should stick to just improving their engine and licensing it to more talented developers, lets hope these new development studios are more apt than their Belgian bosses.

 

[ghostdog]

The only reason Larian is still around is because they're a small studio with a few talented people that have developed usually good games every 2-3 years. Good, full-fledged rpgs cannot be mass-produced in 1-year time.

 

[Infinitron]

The only reason Larian is still around is because they're a small studio with a few talented people that have developed usually good games every 2-3 years. Good, full-fledged rpgs cannot be mass-produced in 1-year time.

Good thing that's not what they're doing

 

[muds_animal_friend]

Clearly, Mr. Vincke likes to live dangerously.

inb4 outside investors swoop in on the smoldering ruins of another over-extended developer-publisher.

All this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

 

[Haba]

oh my GOD a business expanding due to success whatever shall we do

The same thing we do every day.

 

[Harold]

This is why you shouldn't give interviews while drunk.

 

[Roguey]

A studio in Russia? At least one of those three is going to be shovelware.

 

[turbo elephant]

Cool maybe with extra manpower Snake Oil Swen will finally announce the Linux ($teamOS) version of....

Spoiler

Dragon Commander

 

[undecaf]

oh my GOD a business expanding due to success whatever shall we do

For once the success came for the right reasons. And now there's stuff going on that looks like haste and successblindness; rushing to the roulette after the first hit with plans already made for the further winnings to be. The fair codexia gets concerned for the future of the incline.

And not least because obviously we know better.

 

[Gozma]

Boss that gets drunk off pulling a big success from the brink of total disaster -> "Aw fuck boss 'bout to do some crazy shit to chase that business high again"

 

[Aenra]

A studio in Russia? At least one of those three is going to be shovelware.

Since there's always someone that takes you seriously no matter how strenuous your efforts, we should (for the record) state how said move helps them. In terms of distribution, promotion, expenses/taxes (the parent company being essentially offshore) and price-regulating (rubles vs euro, dodgy sites selling keys, etc). Things operate differently in the glavnoe upravlenie ispravitel’no-trudovykh lagerei

Anyway, am not much worried really, not regarding their finances. I think Swen's proven he's got what it takes. Sincerely doubt he is over-extending, bound to be some "net" somewhere.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

Anyway, am not much worried really, not regarding their finances. I think Swen's proven he's got what it takes. Sincerely doubt he is over-extending, bound to be some "net" somewhere.

Thing is, people remember this:

This meant extra delays however, which in turn meant a need for extra budget. Steam Early Access was getting us some money but unfortunately that wasn’t sufficient. We needed to pay back our creditors who were all under the conviction that the game would be out sooner. When, to my surprise, it turned out that they didn’t share our belief that everything was going to be ok and even better if we listened to the feedback, I had to engage in a lot of fun conversations. Between “it’s ready when it’s done” and actually following up on that mantra, there unfortunately lies a big gap that can only be bridged with financial stamina.

I think we would’ve continued development even longer, but when I had to dash to a far away place where lived the one last bank director who still wanted to give us sufficient credit to pay a part of what we owed to another bank, it was clear that we needed to finish. I wasn’t joking when I said it was all in.

I guess some of us were hoping that the days of going all in were over for a while after the success of D:OS, but it seems like Swen is going back to the table and upping the stakes. Good luck to him though.

 

[Aenra]

Zorba the Hutt
I could just as easily see it that way i suppose, sure. I just like to hope think that after being in such a situation twice in a row, he's learned something. Or he'd have disappeared already..

Besides, it's a new era for them. Up to now, they never really managed to go their way, they only just did with D:OS. Even Commander had to suffer the fate of previous games. So i think he'd linked those two facets together. Re-imagine ourselves yes, but to do that? get a product out there that spells "new Larian", not x publisher waiting to cash in. Beyond getting it out of his system, it was also a matter of (re)shaping their audience.
And secondly, while again you have a point, do recall that up to now they had no profits to invest onwards. Sustain yes, but no more. Even so, they managed. Present and onward, it is more a matter of wisely investing profits than of depending on bankers and trusts. Which is why i said i'm not really worried. In terms of yet another "all in". Get real close and comfortable with shutting down your business, you learn your stuff real quick, take my word for it. He's bound to have something put aside, he's bound to have made his contingency planning ^^

 

[Tigranes]

"How could a company destroy itself after a hugely successful KS game?"

Swen's come back from unlikely odds before so I'm still inclined to believe him a little bit, but so much of Larian is defined by the company culture, and it seems, Swen's individual decision-making. Will he be able to exert quality control and financial control over those other studios?

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

The 'second wave' of Kickstarter RPGs needs to dramatically improve to keep me interested. As much as I love this genre, its way too fucking time-consumiing of a hobby to waste my time on mediocrity ... there's nothing they really did exceptionally.

You might want to adjust your expectations. You do not pledge for a D:OS KS campaign hoping on a breakthrough in story quality or presentation. Just as you do not pledge in a PoE campaign in the hopes of getting a combat system akin to JA2's. You have every right to demand the moon and stars, but none (i would think, just me) to criticise people when they fail to deliver them to you. Better is always good, basing your expectations upon nothing concrete is not.

I don't expect them to suddenly become 10/10 perfect games, but second wave should be a lot easier to make, now that they are balls deep familiar with Unity and with the nuances Kickstarter fundiing. This is particulary a case in Pillars since they basically have, the ruleset and adjacent systems, the setting etc, all lined up and waiting for a sequel.