LARIAN UNDER FIRE

DEV CONTROVERSY // GEN-AI // HIRING PRACTICES

Larian Studios, the developer behind the monumental Baldur’s Gate 3, is finding that the pedestal of "Industry Darling" is a precarious place to stand. Following the reveal of their next project, Divinity, at The Game Awards 2025, the studio has been hit by a wave of backlash that goes far deeper than just "AI hysteria."

The controversy ignited when CEO Swen Vincke admitted to using Generative AI for ideation and placeholder assets. While Vincke recently clarified on social media that Larian is not replacing artists and is actually expanding its team of 72 artists, the defensive tone of his response ("Holy f*ck guys...") has only emboldened critics.

Section 1: The "Open Secret" of Narrative Hiring

As the AI debate raged, prominent industry writers began exposing what they call Larian's "horrible" hiring process. Leading the charge, writer Zoë Quinn revealed they turned down recruitment from the studio due to its strict anti-remote work policy and its requirement for an extensive, unpaid writing test.

"Larian's horrible hiring process is an open secret in the industry—insane amounts of unpaid work in 'writing tests,' excessive numbers of interviews, months and months of back and forth."
— Bruno Dias (Pathologic 2, Fallout: London)

The core of the frustration lies in the complexity of these tests. Candidates aren't just asked for samples; they are reportedly tasked with building entirely playable narrative sequences for free—a practice that narrative designers say wastes thousands of hours of collective labor.

Section 2: The GenAI Breakdown

Vincke’s clarification that AI is only used for "white-boxing" and reference exploration hasn't fully quelled the fire. One former Larian environment artist noted on Bluesky that they "loved working there until AI," suggesting internal pushback that contradicts leadership's claim that the studio is "more or less OK" with the tech.

The "Golden Child" Paradox: For years, writers "bit their tongues" out of respect for Larian’s output. That silence ended when it became clear that the studio’s leadership views narrative and concept labor through a lens of efficiency that many feel devalues human artistry.

Section 3: What This Means for "Divinity"

Larian is positioning the new Divinity as its most ambitious title yet, promising a return to Rivellon with a focus on dark fantasy and body horror. However, the unified front from the narrative community suggests a potential talent acquisition crisis. If high-level writers refuse to engage with "wasteful" hiring cycles, the very quality that made Baldur’s Gate 3 a masterpiece could be at risk.

For Indie Kings readers, this is a wake-up call. Behind every "perfect" RPG launch is a production pipeline currently coming under intense scrutiny. Whether Larian can pivot its culture to match its public persona remains the industry's biggest question for 2026.