The company caught Microsoft’s eye as a potential acquisition in 2021, but although Larian finds the attention “flattering,” it’s just not interested.
Good. Not every developer needs to be snapped by a bigger publisher. Some game devs just do better on their own than as part of a corporate monolith.
It’s better for the employees too. Once absorbed by a larger company the bigger company tends to have the smaller studio work on a very small number of IPs before they close them.
More companies need to stop selling out. It’s a death sentence. Video games are not really compatible as a business first. It must be made as art first and business second
It’s rare to find people who love their work more than a huge payday. For 90% of the world, work is done to not starve and die of exposure. For another 9% it’s to not live in relative squalor. So to find someone willing to give up the security a lot of money brings is rare and I don’t blame people who take it. It’s really up to society to ensure people can live and live well without either work and huge amounts of cash. That’s the only way we’re going to escape this capitalist dystopia of money being the only reason most people do anything commercial.
