Highlights
- Larian Studios offers assistance to those affected by layoffs in the gaming industry, encouraging applications for future roles.
- Despite industry layoffs, Baldur’s Gate 3’s success seems to have shielded Larian Studios, fueling speculation of future expansion.
- The game has generated significant revenue, holding a high player rating and contributing to Hasbro’s earnings.
As the gaming industry is hit with the bleak news of yet more layoffs, Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios is stepping in to offer assistance to the people affected. Baldur’s Gate 3 recently celebrated the milestone of hitting 10 million sales and boasts roughly 600,000 players daily.
Over 6,000 layoffs within the gaming industry have been recorded from the beginning of 2024 until press time, compared to the roughly 10,000 layoffs that occurred across all of 2023. Sony’s announcement that it’s cutting 900 PlayStation employees comes approximately 24 hours after the closure of Danish indie studio Die Gute Fabrik due to lack of funding for its next project. Players and industry professionals have expressed concern for the future of gaming, questioning whether the current model is sustainable.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Nominated for 5 More Awards
Baldur’s Gate 3 continues its streak of success into 2024 with five more award nominations, including two nods in the same category.
Michael Douse, director of publishing at Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios, took to Twitter to urge those affected by the recent flood of layoffs to apply to the company. Despite the influx of applications Larian Studios is already receiving, applicants are advised to apply for any job listing on its site, not just one that meets their specific qualifications. As per Douse, all applications submitted have the potential to reach and be seen by their intended department lead. In addition to the normal concerns of unemployment, many people faced with layoffs have expressed on social media that without a job their work visas will expire, which would force them to relocate.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Developer Encouraging Job Applications
Also mentioned within the tweet is the existence of “as-yet not posted roles” becoming available in the future, further lending credence to the possibility of Larian Studios expanding and opening another studio down the road. Despite gaming’s current tragic landscape, it seems the continued popularity of Baldur’s Gate 3 has insulated Larian Studios from the worst of the industry’s latest downward trend. Replying to a comment in the thread, Douse maintains that an expansion at Larian would only be in service of making sure the company could continue to create what it wants for as long as it can, with an emphasis on longevity.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has seen massive critical and commercial success since its full release in August 2023, generating a reported $90 million dollars for Hasbro via licensing for its Dungeons & Dragons property. Baldur’s Gate 3 also continues to perform well among players 7 months after its launch, currently holding a 96% positive review score despite having over half a million reviews.
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
- Released
- August 3, 2023