Larian Studios has enjoyed widespread success with both Divinity: Original Sin games and, of course, Baldur’s Gate 3, and it’s no coincidence that all three had lengthy and successful early access periods. And though there isn’t much clarity yet on what the studio’s next game will end up being (other than the fact that it won’t be related to Baldur’s Gate or Dungeons and Dragons), it’s also likely to release as an early access title before getting its global launch.
That’s as per Larian Studios’ director of publishing Michael Douse, who said in a recent interview with Game File that the developer’s next game “will also probably be in early access”. According to Douse, not only is the early access route in keeping with Larian’s focus on having “a constant dialogue with the players”, it also helps a lot of the inherent risks involved with AAA development and publishing.
“This is the only way to do it now, especially if you consider the fact that the whole point of this stuff is to create social resonance, to create a situation where you have a constant dialogue with the players,” Douse said. “Our next – whatever the next thing will be – will also probably be in early access. That way you remove a lot of the prediction, too. When you release a game in AAA, whatever method, [if] you don’t have early access, you’re taking a huge bet on the fact that this is good and people like it. In early access, you find out very quickly. It helps you steer the massive ship.”
Little is known about Larian Studios’ next game so far, and it’s likely that the developer won’t be saying much about it for quite some time. All we know is that it won’t be Divinity: Original Sin 3, and that it’ll be “different” from the sort of games the studio has made in the past.
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