Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity - Original Sin - General Failure is important for creativity

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2015-04-09-larian-studios-failure-is-important-for-creativity

Just read that, and glad you made lots of money of D:OS.
Seeing that a year later you are still working on the game, I know buying your next games at release will not be a waste of money.

Keep going, larian studio.

Yeah... I would say Swen is probably the best person in the industry when it comes to talking about game development (even though he really doesn't like doing so) because he's much more honest, open and direct than others. But quite a large margin.

But, yeah, Larian has a very... enviable attitude towards development. Which isn't necessarily a good thing. Larian has twice been on the verge of shutting down, and both times managed to stay alive by "going all in"--that is, by investing EVERYTHING they had into a project. And it's paid of twice, but that's a really, really dangerous position to put yourself in. And guess what Swen is doing with the next two games? Yeah: going all-in again.

So while it's very likely and even probably that their next RPGs will eclipse DOS in every aspect, it's also just as possible it will be Larian's last. Hopefully the gamble will pay off and more gamers will realize just how dedicated Larian is to their craft.

Who told you it's once again all in?
It is one thing to have had it occur once (and it was once, in the sense of purposefully going at it), the moment and reasoning behind it excusing the risk, and quite another to assume that a person in charge of the (financial) life of others has it not in him to learn a single lesson from over a decade of financial pressure. Pressure i will remind you that he -did- manage to overcome nonetheless. Both productively and successfuly

Was having this discussion elsewhere and with the danger of repeating myself, i am more than fairly certain he has a safety 'net' already. Fact which can be decuded from Larian's current structure, its business practice/philosophy and its Head's prior experiences. Not something i would worry about.

edit: And most definitely -not- something i would be comfortable of posting as "fact" on the internet

If its Larian, if its D:OS related or at least using the same engine/genre/world, I will back it, buy it, or whatever I can to be a good consumer of a product that I value and that did a lot for me.

D:OS is the first game in almost 10 years I have purchased that has kept me interested for more than a single playthrough, Oh Torchlight 2 as well, but not quite as much.

Shut up and take my money!

Thanks Larian, keep going, true quality always shines through.

I also dont see D:OS as a failure in any way.

Swen Vincke.



I think we can probably count on Larian delivering far more with their next game than they did with DOS, thanks in large part to having the Divinity Engine already built... but at the same time, it's still a "risky" place to be in. Though that's probably why they're developing two games at the same time--if one of them bombs, they have another as backup.

I'm not saying I think there's a good chance (or even much of any chance) of Larian's future games bombing, and thus destroying the company... but there's still an unlikely possibility of it happening--and given how few developers there are making games of this type with this level of polish... any possibility is worrisome.

Is this that recent, horridly translated French interview? No, strike that, irrelevant;

Do you not separate (or try to) PR from facts? They will announce the new one(s) in E3, so as to follow with a new KS campaign soon after. What do you expect them to tell you? We have all the money we need folks, all safe and sound? No one would pledge. They are still the "underdog", compared to the other two, and they are still successful in maintaining our sympathetic view of them. It is only natural they will attempt to work on that. Nice people are nice people, and i love Swen, honest. But business is still business

In any case, am not discounting anything, no. But i neither take everything for granted. If you wish to believe that after all these troubles, worries and setbacks, a man capable enough to organise his own salvation will go all-in, again, despite already owing to the banks? For previous projects? 'Body and soul' as he said? Your prerogative

Sorry, i have to add this just in case (call it "Internetic" experience [poetic license or what])

Should there be people reading the above and finding it overly cynical, be reminded it's a strict, competitive, hard business to be in. One which is usually quite unforgiving. You grow teeth or you step aside. They have to play their strengths and i am very, very but very happy to see that they do so.

As i stated elsewhere, will be more than happy to support whenever the next KS comes up. My getting good games to play depends on more than just 'good will' or 'good intentions'

...That was from Swen's own blog. You should check it out, it's awesome. And a big part of that is because it's NOT PR. There's a reason why Swen didn't share those details until well after DOS had released.

Anyway, the concern here has nothing to do with Larian having enough money to do whatever, or not, and has nothing to do with any future crowdfunding projects. The concern is investing 100% into a project--because projects can fail.

It's the tired cliche of putting all your eggs in one basket. Yes, it can pay off enormously--but it's also a helluva big risk.

So a blog written by a person whom we are to be focusing on as the head of a business (rather than 'a' random Joe, who has no financial gain from cultivating his audience, unlike said businessman) cannot include PR. It is an unwritten precondition that all blog content, regardless the reasoning behind its existence, is by default always and entirely honest. Transparent or bust. Must have missed it, because to my understanding, communicating any a statement may or may not entail an agenda behind it

Be it 100%, "all-in", or whatever a term deemed best applied, it is the same principle. Having kept assets/capital aside, or not. Rephrasing the argument does not invalidate any of the possibilities behind it. Which is why i said that, while possible i suppose, i find it (personally) unlikely.

The factors to be weighed here as far as i am concerned are of an entirely different angle, one unrelated to financing. But even then, this is not my job. It is however theirs. All things eventual