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Baldur's Gate 3 Publisher Urges Devs to 'Pirate' BioWare

by Allison Feb 12,2025

Baldur

Recent layoffs at BioWare, developer of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, have sparked industry-wide conversations. Larian Studios' publishing director, Michael Daus, weighed in on social media, emphasizing the importance of valuing employees and holding leadership accountable for layoffs.

Daus argues that significant team reductions between or after projects are avoidable. He stresses the critical role of retaining institutional knowledge for future projects. While acknowledging the financial pressures that sometimes necessitate "trimming the fat," he questions the aggressive efficiency strategies of large corporations, suggesting they are often unnecessary. This approach, he claims, is only viable with a consistent string of successful releases. Layoffs, he points out, are a drastic, ultimately unsustainable cost-cutting measure.

Daus concludes that the core problem lies in the strategic decisions made by upper management, while the consequences disproportionately affect lower-level employees. He uses the analogy of a pirate ship, where the captain would be the first to be sacrificed, suggesting a more equitable approach to managing video game companies is needed.

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