Larian Studios is expanding its focus on storytelling by forming a specialized narrative team dedicated to laying out the plots of future games well in advance. CEO Swen Vincke explained that the goal is to create a robust library of storylines before the development process even begins, allowing projects to have a clear narrative foundation from the start.
Now that Baldur’s Gate 3 has received its final major updates, the studio is turning its attention to two new projects, a rarity since the early 2010s when it worked on both Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Dragon Commander at the same time.
The Purpose Behind the New Team
Vincke outlined that this new storytelling group will work closely with the traditional writing team but will serve a different function. While writers focus on current in-game narratives, the storytelling team is tasked with long-term planning—imagining worlds, characters, and plotlines that could shape future titles.
He detailed that game writing requires much more than simply scripting dialogue. Narrative design, covering player choices, character arcs across multiple games, and making sure each possibility feels organic, are all crucial aspects that demand specialized skills.
Planning for Player Freedom
The early conceptual work by the storytelling team ensures that when players make unexpected choices during gameplay, the narrative will seamlessly adapt. Vincke emphasized that, at Larian Studios, providing a rich, continuous story experience in response to player decisions is a major priority. He also noted that the company relies heavily on iteration and needs an abundance of narrative content to meet player expectations.
The team will focus on the “blue sky” phase of development—dreaming up broad, flexible story frameworks that writers can later refine into detailed dialogue, quests, and character development.
New Horizons for Larian
Vincke also touched on the types of skills that best suit this kind of storytelling. Writers with experience in crafting expansive narratives, like those from multi-season TV shows or movie trilogies, would be ideal for managing complex plots that span multiple games.
While no new Baldur’s Gate sequel is planned, Larian’s next project, codenamed Excalibur, is already generating buzz. By assembling a team that prioritizes story from the outset, Larian Studios is preparing to build even richer, more responsive worlds for players to explore.
Discover more news.