Taril.... that genre switch was never desired by Larian. They've ALWAYS wanted to make turn-based crpgs (always), but industry pressures forced them to go the route of ARPGs. And it was NEVER successful. In fact, it wasn't until Original Sin, when they achieved their first tru, incontrovertible Hit.
Which is why Original Sin games almost sank the company...
It was Original Sin that saved it. That was their do or die game.
https://www.pcgamer.com/how-larian-studios-skirted-bankruptcy-before-making-divinity-original-sin/And the success of DOS2 was the reason they eventually landed the deal with WOTC.
That said, action combat can also be interesting for sure. It's just that most developers opting for the action go the dumb combat route. Or as Bioware put it: "We want Call Of Duty's audience". RPG studios increasingly trying to make RPGs for people who don't actually like RPGs -- it's happened way back with Ultima already.
https://www.filfre.net/2021/02/ultima-viii-or-how-to-destroy-a-gaming-franchise-in-one-easy-step/ This is a different time though with more games out on the market than ever before. It's about specialization. No less as your average modern triple-A game desperately trying to please everyone is an action adventure type of game with RPG elements... it's a market that's fully on cannibalizing itself. Whether you play the latest Final Fantasy, Ubisoft or Bioware game, they're all becoming a blur.
