The CEO of Larian Studios, while thanking everyone who made Baldur's Gate 3 possible, commented on the recent Hasbro layoffs.
Sven Wink, CEO of Larian Studios, recently revealed that almost everyone who participated in Baldur's Gate 3 approval meeting is no longer working at Wizard of the Coast after the recent layoffs. Considering how positive the reviews for Baldur's Gate 3 are, this is very sad news for Dungeons & Dragons fans.
Baldur's Gate 3 is one of the biggest hits of 2023, and even its creators have been amazed by its numerous critical reviews and high player count. This game has won many awards at The Game Awards 2023. Baldur's Gate 3 won Game of the Year award, along with four other awards, including Best RPG and Multiplayer.
Now, Larian's CEO Sven Wink has shared a speech he planned to give at The Game Awards, but it was shortened at the event. In addition to thanking the staff and fans, Wink also commented on the recent layoffs in Hasbro, in which more than 1,000 people were laid off, including employees from Wizard of the Coast, who manages the Dungeons & Dragons brand. Wink said he was saddened to learn that almost everyone who participated in Baldur's Gate 3 approval meetings have now left the company.
While the creators of Baldur's Gate 3 did not specify the names of those who were recently fired, it is already known that earlier this week several people who worked on the d&D team were fired, including even some of the base personnel working on Dungeons & Dragons 5e. The list includes people like Mike Myers, who is considered one of the co-creators of Dungeons & Dragons 5e, and Brianna Hayes, who headed the publishing and licensing department at the company for 28 years, as well as several artists and designers.
Overall, 2023 has been a mixed year for the gaming industry. While some great games have been released this year, many companies have suffered layoffs, and Hasbro is just the latest in a long list of companies in the entertainment industry that have been hit. Unity, for example, announced four layoffs in 17 months, most recently laying off more than 250 employees. Other companies that have laid off workers this year include CD Projekt Red, Electronic Arts, Take-Two Interactive, Team 17, Riot Games, and Bioware, which together have laid off thousands of employees.