At the recent SEA Game Awards 2024 hosted in conjunction with Level Up KL, Larian Studios Malaysia was awarded a Special Recognition Award in light of the studio’s success with Baldur’s Gate 3 and their contributions to the local game development industry.
Larian Studios Malaysia was first established in Kuala Lumpur in 2019, with the announcement happening exactly five years ago at Level Up KL. We had the pleasure of having a short chat with Larian CEO and founder Swen Vincke after receiving the award, in which he shared his thoughts on Larian Studios Malaysia, what games he’s currently playing, and more!
Larian Studios currently has seven offices around the world. What has your experience been with each new studio opening?
Well, it’s not easy. Communication is key in everything, and in this period specifically, we had COVID to deal with, which made things even more complicated. But when it works, it works really well. When it doesn’t, it really doesn’t. So we’re still learning how to improve things. Without it, I don’t think Baldur’s Gate 3 would be ready by now. We’d still be working on it.
Is there anything we can look forward to from Larian Studios Malaysia in the near future?
Our team is growing. It’s definitely growing, and we have big ambitions.
How does the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 impact your approach to your next title?
The pressure is high. It’s very, very high. We’re trying to just focus on following our gut and our instincts, but the pressure is incredibly high.
Lastly, Baldur’s Gate 3 is on everyone’s must-play list, but what’s on yours?
Well, you’d be surprised. I’m currently playing Vampire Survivors in co-op. I played Balatro, but I’m also playing UFO 50, which really isn’t getting a lot of attention, so definitely give it some attention. I’ve been playing Skald: Against the Black Priory. Smaller games, those are the ones I have time to play right now, but yeah, Vampire Survivors in co-op is what I’m really having fun with.
