Baldur's Gate 3 and Larian Studios lead Swen Vincke declares that single-player games are, in fact, not "dead" at all – "they just have to be good"

Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing Astarion, a pale male elf with short curly white hair and red eyes, looking over his shoulder with a smirk on his face
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

As Larian Studios wraps up its work to release the long-awaited Patch 8 for Baldur's Gate 3, CEO Swen Vincke has shared some much-needed wisdom with the broader gaming community – no, single-player games are not "dead."

Vincke makes the declaration in a recent online post, explaining that people just need to "use your imagination" and try to see the bigger picture – single-player games are still very much alive indeed, but, unsurprisingly, they've got to be good to actually gain significant traction. "That time of the year again when big single-player games are declared dead," writes the lead. "Use your imagination. They're not. They just have to be good."

The Baldur's Gate 3 director's statement rings especially true in an era arguably boasting the best RPGs to date, from Larian's own 2023 banger to more recent releases like Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 and a personal favorite of mine from last year, Metaphor: ReFantazio. There's also Avowed, an immersive single-player gem from renowned studio Obsidian Entertainment our review describes as filling "a first-person void" within the genre.

There's more to come from Larian Studios after the Baldur's Gate 3 developers wrap up their work on Patch 8, too, with the company previously admitting it's placing its "full attention" on its next RPG – which, while it won't be Baldur's Gate 4, doesn't mean a sequel isn't also coming. After all, Dungeons & Dragons' parent company Hasbro stated that it's currently "talking to lots of partners" about the next Baldur's Gate game.

Baldur's Gate 3 animation impresses Larian Studios, prompting one dev to say "mature" animation of the RPG "would pop the f*** off"

Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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