Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke recently opened up about the development of Baldur's Gate 3, giving fans insight into what the years leading up to its successful launch were like and what the aftermath was like.

In this conversation, published in the latest issue of Edge magazine, Vinke also reveals what the situation was like at Larian Studios in St. Petersburg in 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, and how quickly he had to get involved to help the developers who worked there. He also reveals how he had to get involved quickly to help the developers working there (via GamesRadar).

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, development of “Baldur's Gate 3” was already well underway, but Vincke was already preparing for what was to come, so the St. Petersburg studio had to close immediately: “We were already thinking about what to do if that actually happened. I had already thought about what I would do”

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But even after the studio was closed, Finke did not just rest. He “made an immediate decision: 'I can't stay here. I can't stay here. Because as long as this was going to happen, it was almost predictable that we would eventually be mobilized.”

The mission was to relocate as many developers as possible. Vincke continues that Larian's staff “started fighting embassies and consulates” to get their colleagues out. Baldur's Gate 3 was still in development, and they needed developers to work on it as soon as possible.

“In a complex machine like an RPG, where everything is connected to everything else, if you suddenly start disconnecting something, the whole thing falls apart,” Vincke said. Because what was supposed to be done is no longer done.”

Ninety percent of the studios were eventually relocated, but the closures had enough impact to cause change a year and a half later. Vinke continues, “As a result, compromises and cuts were made to the final product.”

“But losing a studio in the middle of development is rare.”

We have seen the war in Ukraine affect many game studios and teams. Just last week, Indika publisher 11-bit Studios announced a $50,000 donation to “help Ukrainian children” after a missile attack on the Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kiev, the largest children's hospital in the country. Ukrainian developers of the upcoming “Stalker 2” describe what it is like to create a game while under attack.