Larian’s new Polish studio is a “match made in heaven” for the Baldur’s Gate 3 developer’s upcoming RPGs

Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity Original Sin developers Larian today announced the opening of a new studio in Warsaw, Poland. This is RPG outfit Larian’s seventh studio worldwide, and the latest to contribute to their “24-hour development cycle” model. That’s even more hands on deck to a) keep Swen Vincke’s armour polished to a fine sheen and b) ensure smooth sailing for the two new games that Larian currently have in the works.

Make a wisdom check against your reading skills, roll the die under the sofa, then just read the bit of press release below normally:

As the team ramps up development on our next games, Larian’s excited to boost its existing 24-hour development cycle with the addition of this seventh studio. Larian Studios Warsaw will be joining a global team of sister studios in Quebec, Dublin, Guildford, Barcelona, Ghent, and Kuala Lumpur.

“The decision to open a permanent studio in Warsaw shows how serious we are about encouraging creativity, collaboration, and innovation in the heart of Poland’s lively gaming scene,” said Ula Jach, Head of Studio. “We’re thrilled for the opportunity to collaborate with the abundant talent and expertise of the region, especially considering Poland’s strong reputation as a hub for RPG and gaming enthusiasts.”

We also have a strong hint – if any were needed – that the two upcoming games Larian is working on are, indeed, RPGs.

Swen Vincke, CEO of Larian Studios, said: “Visiting GIC last year confirmed what I’d been thinking for a while – there’s a lot of talent here and a lot of devs who think like us.

On top of that, many of them want to work on RPGs so it’s a match made in heaven.

Our plan for the Polish studio is very simple. Build a team that can work on our two – very ambitious – new RPGs and enjoy the fruits of their labor. We’re a very bottom up company so I’m eager to see what new things they’ll bring us. I think it’ll work really well.”

“As an independent studio since 1996, we value the freedom to follow our creativity wherever it leads,” wrote Larian in a Steam blog back in April. “In this case, after six years in the Forgotten Realms and much discussion and rumination, we’ve decided to seize this opportunity to develop our own IPs. We’re currently working on two new projects and we couldn’t be more excited about what the future has in store.”

As for the future of the Baldur’s Gate series and D&D games in general, licence holders Hasbro recently announced it’d be spending $1 billion on its own video games. If I was being cynical, I might imagine a CEO assuming that budget and the D&D name were the only reasons for Baldur’s Gate 3’s success. “Mo’ money, Mo’ Baldur’s Gates!” they declare confidently, before reclining back on their chair, which is actually just several writers and artists horribly contorted into a flesh throne.

Disclosure: Former RPS deputy editor Adam Smith (RPS in peace) now works at Larian and is the lead writer for Baldur’s Gate 3. Former contributor Emily Gera also works on it.