“Treat Them With Respect”- Baldur’s Gate 3 CEO Says Players Are A Vital Part Of Early Access

Highlights

Baldur’s Gate 3’s upcoming modding kit will enhance player experience on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
Larian Studios CEO emphasizes the importance of player respect and commitment in early access game development.
The team’s dedication to providing support and maintaining player interest in Baldur’s Gate 3 is evident.

Following in the footsteps of games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Fallout 4, Baldur’s Gate 3 will have its very own modding kit that will see players sink even more hours into the Larian Studios fantasy RPG. Due out in September this year, patch seven will introduce the much-requested mods not only on PC but for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S users as well.

The studio’s CEO Swen Vincke said that the team at Larian is “really” working towards giving players the ability to mod and make their own things. “I think that will be the point where we’re going to say ‘ok, now it’s yours fully,'” Keeping players at the forefront of his mind, Vincke also wants other companies to understand that when making a game early access, its playerbase is the most important component of the process.

Baldur’s Gate 3’s Modding Toolkit Won’t Include Level And Quest Creators

This is due to cross-platform technical constraints.

“There’s Players Playing This That Care, So You Should Treat Them With Respect.”

While attending BAFTA’s “An Evening with Baldur’s Gate 3”, PC Gamer got to listen in to a chat with Larian Studios’ CEO Swen Vincke, writing director Adam Smith, and lead writer Chrystal Ding about the future of early access. Even though co-founder Vincke feels passionate about early access development as a whole, as it has been great for Baldur’s Gate 3, he also has reservations about its long-lasting effect on games if the work isn’t initially put in.

“I don’t think [early access] is the future because you never know what the future will bring. For us, it’s been really good. I heartily recommend it, but you really have to mean it when you go there” stated Vincke, before continuing. “You have to work with the players on making your game better, otherwise, you shouldn’t be doing it.”

Vincke also warns against games going into early access if studios aren’t invested in the time it takes to maintain it, as well as making sure to keep an “open” mind regarding expectations within the first month. “You need to take time for it … if you’re only in early access for a month or so, that’s fine too, but then it’s probably just to test some technical things, and you have to be open about that.”

“You’ve sold someone a game, they paid for a game. So you need to maintain it and you owe them that. You can’t just say, okay, that early access branch is now over there and we’re over here and it’s neglected. You can’t do that. So that’s a lot of effort, it’s difficult.” Smith said.

Throughout Baldur’s Gate 3’s development, it received nine major patches as the team was committed to providing the best support and experience for its players. This same mantra also included its early access period where the team never treated its full release or early access any differently. Vincke certainly has the player’s best interests at heart when it comes to realizing what an intricate and important part they are, not only at launch but also throughout the early access process.

“You really shouldn’t approach it with the attitude of ‘oh it’s just early access’. There’s players playing this that care, so you should treat them with respect,” expressed Vincke.

For whatever game Larian Studios is working on next, it’s almost guaranteed that it too will come to early access. We can’t wait to see what the team is cooking up.