Larian was already Rule out this possibility to Baldur's Gate 3 Heading to Xbox Game Pass, but we now know that the studio has no intention of bringing the popular RPG to any subscription service.
Responding to IGN's post that highlighted The recent rebranding of Ubisoft+ and comments from a company executive Which suggests that subscription services will only flourish when gamers get over the idea of ownership, and Larian CEO Swen Vincke offered an opposing view.
In a long topic about XHe suggested that developers should always look to sell “directly” to players and claimed that it would be “a lot harder” to produce excellent games if subscription services became the dominant model.
He basically believes that subscription models will lead to a reality where studios have to convince (or pay) the companies that run those platforms to support their projects rather than courting players directly. This is a problem, because players are the ones who ultimately decide whether a video game lives or dies.
“Idealism requires space to exist.”
For Finke, this would be a “huge setback” for developers. “Convincing a board to approve a project fueled by idealism is nearly impossible,” he wrote, “and idealism needs room to exist—even if it could lead to disaster. Subscription models will always end up being cost/benefit exercises aimed at maximizing profit.”
“There's nothing wrong with that, but it may not become a monopoly for subscription services. We're all already reliant on a selection of digital distribution platforms and discoverability is brutal. If all of these platforms switch to subscription, it's going to become brutal.”
“In such a world, by definition, subscription service preference will determine the type of games that will be made. Trust me, you don't really want that.”
All of the above is why Vincke said Larian won't offer its titles to any subscription service, though he said he understands why some developers take that route. “I respect that for many developers it represents an opportunity to advance their game,” he added. “I don't have a problem with that. I just want to make sure the other ecosystem doesn't die because it's valuable.”
