Larian CEO and founder Swen Vincke thinks he's cracked the first act of his next game, but 'it's not what you think and this is not an teaser for an announcement'

Swen Vincke in a full suit of armour, holding up a potion to the light.
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

Swen Vincke, the CEO and founder of Larian Studio (developer of Baldur's Gate 3) has taken to Twitter to share some progress on his next game—namely, he thinks he's got a solid draft going.

"Been a great morning! After 4 months of rewriting and rewriting and abandoning ideas and then revisiting them, I finally figured out what Act 1 on this thing I've been working on needs to be," in case you're completely uninitiated to Larian's style of game, they tend to be split into acts. For example, Act 1 of Baldur's Gate 3 starts after the Nautiloid crash and ends when you enter the Shadow-Cursed Lands. 

Surprising no-one, this suggests that Larian's working on another CRPG and not a first-person rhythm shooter or roguelike cooking/dating sim (although I'd certainly like to see them try the latter. Grillin' with Astarion? You can have that one for free, Swen). 

Vincke seems pretty confident that this first draft has legs. "Quote me when it's revealed to see how much of today's draft survives. I suspect a lot," still—even if he does scrap the whole thing, he writes that "work done on abandoned drafts is never wasted, even if you think the drafts are shit. More than often, you'll find you can recycle your work once you find the right story for it."

He then goes on to note: "This type of work can be really frustrating when you're stuck but the important bit is to never give up and remain self-critical, even if the situation looks hopeless." 

It's a nice window into the creative philosophy that made our Game of the Year—and not surprising, given the studio nearly went bankrupt before Divinity: Original Sin. Vincke is pretty much an industry expert at bouncing back, even if he's got some doubts:

(Image credit: @LarAtLarian on Twitter/X.)

"It may be they all think it's bad and then I'll just kill this thread, go sit in a corner with my dog and pretend none of this happened … But I think I really like this one," Vincke writes, before insisting: "It's not what you think and this is not a teaser for an announcement …  It'll be quite some time before we talk about this." 

Still—even if we're still a long way off from any kind of concrete announcement for Baldur's Gate 4, Divinity: Original Sin 3, or some secret third thing (like a Star Wars game, perhaps?) It's neat to glimpse at the man behind the industry-shaking curtain. It's also a solid reminder that making stuff is hard, and self-doubt hits everyone the same, even if you've won a kajillion awards.

Harvey Randall
Staff Writer

Harvey's history with games started when he first begged his parents for a World of Warcraft subscription aged 12, though he's since been cursed with Final Fantasy 14-brain and a huge crush on G'raha Tia. He made his start as a freelancer, writing for websites like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine—and of course, PC Gamer. He'll sink his teeth into anything that looks interesting, though he has a soft spot for RPGs, soulslikes, roguelikes, deckbuilders, MMOs, and weird indie titles. He also plays a shelf load of TTRPGs in his offline time. Don't ask him what his favourite system is, he has too many.

Read more
Baldur's Gate 3 Gale romance - Gale sacrificing himself
Despite the big Baldur's Gate 3 update in the works, Larian says its 'full attention' is now focused on its next game
Baldur's Gate 3
2024 was still the year of Baldur's Gate 3: Why we're all still playing Larian's once-in-a-decade RPG 16 months later
Wyrdsong concept art
Wyrdsong, the RPG from ex-Bethesda talent, isn't dead—but it's no longer an open world: 'We're down to a skeleton crew'
Maximillian from Evil Genius 2
Rebellion CEO says Evil Genius 3 could happen but wonders 'what else could we do with it other than a base-building game?'
Karlach smolders
Karlach voice actor offers a pre-emptive no thanks to Disco Elysium successors that don't include the original project lead: 'Miss me with that casting call'
A man shouting while waving his sword in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
Baldur's Gate 3 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 show that the future of RPGs is in games way more ambitious, weird and unexpected than anything Bethesda and BioWare have to offer
Latest in Games
Mechs fight on the outside of a spaceship
MechWarrior 5: Clans is getting DLC with playable Elementals and a fight on the outside of a spaceship
Crying laughing emoji with disturbing realistic elements for REPO
REPO's first update will add a new map and a 'duck bucket' so we can finally give that pesky quacker a time out
Alligator skull with glowing eyes on human body and cords coming out sitting at piano with "The Norwood Etudes" ready to play
My new most anticipated RPG let me be a kleptomaniac gourmand set loose in a noir city on a quest to make 'the perfect sandwich'
Man facing camera
The Day Before studio reportedly sues Russian website for calling infamous disaster-game a 'scam'
Resident Evil Village - Lady Dimitrescu
'It really truly changed my life in every possible way': Lady Dimitrescu actor says her Resident Evil Village role was just as transformative for her as it was for roughly half the internet in 2021
Monster Hunter Wilds' stockpile master studying a manifest
Monster Hunter Wilds' new gyro controls are a fantastic option for disabled and able-bodied players alike
Latest in News
Mechs fight on the outside of a spaceship
MechWarrior 5: Clans is getting DLC with playable Elementals and a fight on the outside of a spaceship
Aloy - Horizon
'I feel worried about this art form:' Unsurprisingly, the real Aloy from Horizon isn't a fan of AI Aloy
Crying laughing emoji with disturbing realistic elements for REPO
REPO's first update will add a new map and a 'duck bucket' so we can finally give that pesky quacker a time out
Man facing camera
The Day Before studio reportedly sues Russian website for calling infamous disaster-game a 'scam'
Will Poulter holding a CD ROM
'What are most games about? Killing': Black Mirror Season 7 includes a follow-up to 2018 interactive film Bandersnatch
Casper Van Dien in Starship Troopers
Sony, which is making a Helldivers 2 movie, is also making a new Starship Troopers movie, but it's not based on the Starship Troopers movie we already have