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[Draugoth]

via Eurogamer

​

The Covid pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine were the biggest setbacks in development of Baldur's Gate 3, said CEO Swen Vincke.

Speaking to Edge magazine, Vincke discussed how Larian closed a studio in St Petersburg, Russia, and was "fighting with embassies" to relocate staff.

​

I had already thought about what we were going to do if it actually happened," said Vincke. "So the decision was instant: we can't stay there. We needed to move people away because, as these things go, you can almost predict that eventually there's going to be a mobilisation, and that meant that all my team was going to go to war."

joint task force of the developer's studio operations, finance and legal teams was then set up to facilitate the move.

"They did an incredible job, worked day and night to be able to get every single person a tailored solution to get them out of there," said Vincke. "I'm super-proud of them for doing that."

As a result, over 90 percent of staff from the St Petersburg team were relocated to other Larian studios.

"That meant that we started fighting with embassies and consulates," said Vincke. "It was really complicated."

 

[IFireflyl]

Let me start off by saying the Russia-Ukraine war should end as it is, and has been from the start, completely senseless.

Having said that: it is insane to me that, in a time of war, companies can just move their employees to dodge a draft.

 

[Pagusas]

Curious if making this news will result in a Russian retaliation towards these staffers. Not something I'd really be advertising.

 

[Arsic]

Let me start off by saying the Russia-Ukraine war should end as it is, and has been from the start, completely senseless.

Having said that: it is insane to me that, in a time of war, companies can just move their employees to dodge a draft.

Yeah that’s my exact mental.

Like bro, we are all anti war… but what they did is flat out treason is it not?

 

[Arsic]

Curious if making this news will result in a Russian retaliation towards these staffers. Not something I'd really be advertising.

It’s one thing to do this and keep it hush hush or leave it up to speculation…. But to full blown admit is insane.

They just put all those people and their studio on the chopping block. Like… wtf? Why would you go admit this publicly?

Insane.

 

[nowhat]

Curious if making this news will result in a Russian retaliation towards these staffers. Not something I'd really be advertising.

Doubt they'll be (willingly) returning to Russia any time soon. And still so inconsequential people that they're not worth the Polonium.

 

[Ozriel]

Let me start off by saying the Russia-Ukraine war should end as it is, and has been from the start, completely senseless.

Having said that: it is insane to me that, in a time of war, companies can just move their employees to dodge a draft.

There was no probably no wide, mandated mobilization at the time they started moves to relocate people.

More likely the employees reached out to Larian and they did the right thing they could to relocate them.

Turns out desk bound software developers with no military experience have no desire to stick around to fight in a senseless war that their country started

It’s one thing to do this and keep it hush hush or leave it up to speculation…. But to full blown admit is insane.

They just put all those people and their studio on the chopping block. Like… wtf? Why would you go admit this publicly?

Insane.

What studio? The one they said they’ve closed and moved all the employees out?

 

[The Cockatrice]

but what they did is flat out treason is it not?

Nah but also

 

[Arsic]

There was no probably no wide, mandated mobilization at the time they started moves to relocate people.

More likely the employees reached out to Larian and they did the right thing they could to relocate them.

Turns out desk bound software developers with no military experience have no desire to stick around to fight in a senseless war that their country started



What studio? The one they said they’ve closed and moved all the employees out?

Yes but their reasoning here is they closed it to avoid these folks being drafted, right?

Or am I reading this wrong?

Idk man… Russia is a petty place that would hunt these folks down and try to sink Larian if they have the path to do so lol.

 

[Arsic]

Nah but also

Lmao I would imagine they and their families would care if all the sudden they start getting knocks at the door by a goon squad to take you back to the motherland to have a quick chat with Daddy Vlad.

XD

 

[The Cockatrice]

Lmao I would imagine they and their families would care if all the sudden they start getting knocks at the door by a goon squad to take you back to the motherland to have a quick chat with Daddy Vlad.

XD

Im pretty sure they already took all the precautions needed and their families are ok, else they wouldnt be admitting it.

 

[acidagfc]

Every sensible IT business did exactly that (my own employer included).
Only the state owned companies or those that wish to leech from the state budget currently remain.

 

[Topher]

Let me start off by saying the Russia-Ukraine war should end as it is, and has been from the start, completely senseless.

Having said that: it is insane to me that, in a time of war, companies can just move their employees to dodge a draft.

I have to wonder if they would have done the same thing had the studio been located in Ukraine. Either way, I agree with Pagusas . This isn't something I would be bragging about.

 

[LordOfChaos]

I have nothing to say against this really. Ukraine faced less adversaries, and even if you say one side is fully in the wrong, it really should be considered more of a human tragedy than the world gives it's due that men of combat age can just be forced into someone else's stupid war under threat of violence, jail, or worse, just see some of those videos of them literally dragging people out of their homes into it.

 

[acidagfc]

People outside of Russia may not realize this, but currently it is a full on fascist state.

There is no freedom of expression or creativity.
You may have heard about "Putin ordering the creation of russian games". What this implies is the creation of patriotic, war-touting trash for the state budget, basically a money laundering scheme.

Even disregarding the financial aspect of sanctions, you simply cannot create any modern media (movies, games, music) that is not in line with the policy. And the policy is the glory of Motherland, literal fucking fascism.

And also, there is currently a law that forbids the "propaganda of LGBT". By propaganda they mean literally anything. You wear a rainbow scarf - gay propaganda - 6 years of prison (not a joke, real case). Gays kissing in public - propaganda, jail.

So imagine a game like BG3 being created there. This puts your entire staff at risk of jail or being drafted to slaughter.
So yea, no shit they fled.

 

[Holammer]

I'm curious if Alawar, a Russian developer/publisher did the same, they moved the company the Delaware USA after the war started. They had a decent hit with Wall World last year, a mining/tower defence/rogue-like.

They moved to America on paper anyway, other companies moved to abroad to countries like Cyprus to avoid sanctions.

Video Game Companies Leave Russia In Search Of ‘Next Level’

Since the war in Ukraine, Russian techies have been on the move. Here’s one of five Russian game developers that recently severed ties and moved to Amsterdam for better exposure in a fast-growing global gaming market.

www.forbes.com

 

[Sushi_Combo]

People outside of Russia may not realize this, but currently it is a full on fascist state.

There is no freedom of expression or creativity.
You may have heard about "Putin ordering the creation of russian games". What this implies is the creation of patriotic, war-touting trash for the state budget, basically a money laundering scheme.

Even disregarding the financial aspect of sanctions, you simply cannot create any modern media (movies, games, music) that is not in line with the policy. And the policy is the glory of Motherland, literal fucking fascism.

And also, there is currently a law that forbids the "propaganda of LGBT". By propaganda they mean literally anything. You wear a rainbow scarf - gay propaganda - 6 years of prison (not a joke, real case). Gays kissing in public - propaganda, jail.

So imagine a game like BG3 being created there. This puts your entire staff at risk of jail or being drafted to slaughter.
So yea, no shit they fled.

According to Tucker Carlson, Russia is the new land of opportunity tho.

 

[acidagfc]

According to Tucker Carlson, Russia is the new land of opportunity tho.

Depends on your definition of opportunity.

 

[LazyParrot]

Didn't all developers with studios in Russia do this? Even the ones founded and owned by Russians like Owlcat got tf outta there once the war started.

 

[lughnasadh123]

Saved them from becoming a pile of meatloaf, so that's good. Now Russia can fuck off right back to their own country so people on both sides can stop dying.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

Let me start off by saying the Russia-Ukraine war should end as it is, and has been from the start, completely senseless.

Having said that: it is insane to me that, in a time of war, companies can just move their employees to dodge a draft.

From what I read, they planned and executed this before mobilisation, so that means the security at the borders probably weren't as tight and I'm guessing the sanctions weren't as piled on, making it less difficult to achieve this. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get everyone out.

 

[Agent_4Seven]

Swen is the man!
From this point forward I will buy his every game even if it's not my type of game or whatever just as a thank you for what he did. If I could've I would've shaked his hand personaly.

 

[darrylgorn]

 

[Filben]

Curious if making this news will result in a Russian retaliation towards these staffers.

I was thinking the same. If you're still a Russian citizen (meaning as in having a Russian ID/Passport) you still under their law. Of course they don't personally go to another country like UK, France, Germany, etc. and drag you back. But there could be retaliation and punishment upon returning to the country. Also, I'm not sure if Russia could enforce other countries' governments to have them sent back; in that case you'd be hugely dependent on the government you're residing under and how strong and long their anti-Russia stance is.

I hope their staff find their bearings in whatever new country they are and don't have to nor want to return to this fascist country.

 

[Onironauta]

Yeah that’s my exact mental.

Like bro, we are all anti war… but what they did is flat out treason is it not?

Yeah but we are talking about freaking Russia. They risked being used as meat shields.

 

[M1chl]

People outside of Russia may not realize this, but currently it is a full on fascist state.

There is no freedom of expression or creativity.
You may have heard about "Putin ordering the creation of russian games". What this implies is the creation of patriotic, war-touting trash for the state budget, basically a money laundering scheme.

Even disregarding the financial aspect of sanctions, you simply cannot create any modern media (movies, games, music) that is not in line with the policy. And the policy is the glory of Motherland, literal fucking fascism.

And also, there is currently a law that forbids the "propaganda of LGBT". By propaganda they mean literally anything. You wear a rainbow scarf - gay propaganda - 6 years of prison (not a joke, real case). Gays kissing in public - propaganda, jail.

So imagine a game like BG3 being created there. This puts your entire staff at risk of jail or being drafted to slaughter.
So yea, no shit they fled.

Come on now, just because being anti-woke is now cool and all, I think pretty much everyone understands it very well.

"Z Ruska nikdy nic dobrýho nepřišlo" is saying which is here at this point like 100 years old.

 

[nemiroff]

According to Tucker Carlson, Russia is the new land of opportunity tho.

Yeah.., Carlson is an ultra-conservative conspiracy theorist, so I guess he's talking about all the questionable opportunities that lies in Russia as a totalitarian state and its wartime economy.

Anyway, I really hope people on the right don’t fall for Carlson’s brainwashing tricks. As someone who knows Ukraine inside out, the false narratives just make me sick.