Larian Studios’ Michael Douse positioned Baldur’s Gate III and Divinity Original Sin 2’s price “below their value” as they “had faith” that the games would recoup their development costs.Speaking on X, Michael Douse, the publishing director for Baldur’s Gate III, commented that he isn’t keen on “the artificially of pricing structures post retail,” referring Star Wars Outlaws (a game that he has been enjoying recently) Ultimate Edition and its accompanying bonus content. “I think a game should be priced accordingly with its quality, breadth, and depth,” and that “almost all games should cost more at a base level because the cost of making them (inflation, for one) is outpacing pricing trends.”Related Content — Upcoming PS5 Games 2024: The Best PS5 Games Coming SoonIn a separate thread on X, Douse observed that the “bulk of development cost is salaries,” which means that development costs should drive alongside salaries as inflation drives them up. He added that as studios take on more staff to get projects out the door on time, those costs can rise “astronomically” during the latter stages of production. While this may see the likes of AI being looked at as a means of keeping costs down, Douse said that the major issue is the desire to “play it safe” and “follow trends.” Such “risk-averse strategies” however don’t necessarily equate to better games, however.I want good games. I get mad at bad games. I also price games (I priced both DOS2 and BG3 below their value because I care about people’s cost of living and had faith in our recoup) CE far below. Again, I had faith. So I’m not the “suit” ripping people off, thx RPS!Douse previously commented on the widespread number of layoffs within the industry, describing them as an “avoidable f**k up.”Baldur’s Gate III was released for the PS5 in September 2023 and was a major success, with the game winning numerous awards and selling buy the bucket load. While Larian is moving away from the series and Dungeons & Dragons in general for its next project, a new update is still in the pipeline that will add new ‘evil endings to the game.[Source – Michael Douse on X]
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