Swen Vincke, the director of Baldur’s Gate 3 and CEO of Larian Studios, expressed his sorrow over the latest layoffs at Wizards of the Coast by Hasbro, noting that most of those involved in the initial discussions about the Dungeons & Dragons-based game are no longer at the company. In his remarks, Vincke offered gratitude to the Wizards of the Coast team for allowing Larian Studios to have creative control over the game and wished well for those who had been laid off. This news was shared in a detailed Twitter thread that conveyed his appreciation for winning Game of the Year for Baldur’s Gate 3 and critiqued the time constraints imposed on acceptance speeches.
As part of discussing the making of Baldur’s Gate 3, mention was made of Mike Mearls, the former Dungeons & Dragons creative director, who accompanied Vincke on various media appearances. Mearls described the team’s role as providing story and system support and highlighted the collaboration with Larian Studios. He referred to Dungeons & Dragons as a “toy box for dungeon masters and players,” indicating that their participation involved providing guidance and sharing resources for the game’s implementation.
Mearls made a transition to the role of director of game design for the Magic: The Gathering trading card game in 2020. He was included in the “special thanks” section of the Baldur’s Gate 3 credits, alongside Wizards of the Coast in entirety, before being among those laid off. Shaun Roe, a digital games producer, reflected on the role Wizards of the Coast played in the game, noting that their intention was to support Larian Studios’ vision without interfering with it.
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