Originally Posted by Blackheifer
I mean, I think calling Starfield a "new" IP is pretty laughable. What? How is it a new IP? What new concepts is it introducing? Factions in future space humans and exploration? Totally derivative. Those guys spent at least a hundred million on a totally ineffective marketing campaign.
My point still stands. Be it "no IP" or "new IP", the marketing will be pretty much the same for both, because developers have nothing to piggyback on. Larian, on their other hand, has a veritable 4 of a kind called Baldur's Gate.
Comparing their marketing strategies, or outcomes of their marketing campaigns makes zero sense.

Originally Posted by Blackheifer
A "No homebrew" or "core rules" mod would be "additional content" - that's not a bug.
No, this is not new content. These are changes in game's mechanics. And I'm pretty sure there are people who would consider many original implementations as bugs. Just as an example, if some modder will change the behaviour of CC spells so that saves won't be made both at the start and end of turn, that would be a bugfix. I'm not watching the BG3 modding scene now, maybe someone has already done this, or something similar.
Actually, after re-reading your original statement:
Originally Posted by Blackheifer
Bethesda is relying on modders to improve the game. Larian modders are adding additional content to the extent they currently can.
I don't see how the latter contradicts the former. They are completely unrelated. The first sentence is about Bethesda, yet the second is not about Larian, but rather about modders (which Larian doesn't control directly, afaik). Not sure what you were trying to say here. Looks like a rhetorical sleight of hand to me.

Originally Posted by Blackheifer
Both companies have a President that has ultimate say in decisions. The difference between Horizontal and Vertical is the layers of management between that president.
My point was that I don't see any signs that Larian has a horizontal structure. It's too big, and some design decisions look pretty voluntaristic to me.
Not sure why you think it has.