Crunch is one word many video game developers wince at when spoken. It’s used to describe long overtime and has been a common practice in the industry for decades–though also heavily debated and polarizing.
Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke touched on the touchy subject recently at the Digital Dragons conference in Poland, per GamesRadar. He admitted that crunch is unavoidable at times by nature of the beast, though paid overtime helps the situation.
“We didn’t overly crunch [on Baldur’s Gate 3], but we did have to do a bit of crunch,” Vincke said. “And I think, to be honest, you will always have a little bit when you’re trying to finish something, especially when there’s so much complexity that needs to be brought together.”
That doesn’t mean Vincke and Larian just accept crunch as standard. Vincke, who directed Baldur’s Gate 3, said there was less crunch making the RPG compared to previous games the studio has worked on. It became necessary with Baldur’s Gate 3 because “we had things happen that we didn’t foresee,” according to Vincke.
Looking ahead, Larian is working on its next two games that could be its “best work ever.” Neither will be Baldur’s Gate 4, as the company leaves the world of the Forgotten Realms to create its own properties. Whatever they might be, Larian’s next game will likely launch in early access again like Baldur’s Gate 3.
While first released in early access in 2020, Baldur’s Gate 3 officially launched last year. The RPG was GameSpot’s game of the year for 2023.
