Larian Studios is a Belgian independent video game developer and publisher founded in 1996 by Swen Vincke in Ghent, Belgium. They are best known for Baldur’s Gate 3, which won Game of the Year at all five major gaming awards ceremonies in 2023, a first in the history of the medium. The studio came close to bankruptcy multiple times before Divinity: Original Sin saved them in 2014.

Larian Studios Origin Story: Nearly Bankrupt Three Times Over

The Early Struggles

Larian’s first game was The L.E.D. Wars in 1997, a real-time strategy title. A larger RPG project was cancelled in 1999 after their co-developer went bankrupt. Larian survived by making educational games for children’s television channels and casino games. Divine Divinity released in 2002 and was a commercial success, but a bad royalties contract meant it made them almost nothing.

Divinity: Original Sin Saves the Studio

Larian crowdfunded Divinity: Original Sin on Kickstarter in 2013, raising over $940,000 against a goal of $400,000. The game released in 2014 and saved the studio from collapse. If it had failed, Larian almost certainly would have shut down.

Larian Studios Games

Divinity: Original Sin (2014)

Won over 150 awards and nominations. More importantly, it saved the studio. Larian’s fastest-selling title at the time and the game that established them as a serious RPG developer internationally.

Divinity: Original Sin II (2017)

Launched with a Metacritic score of 93 and sold three times more than the original. Wizards of the Coast had previously rejected a Baldur’s Gate pitch from Larian, but after seeing pre-release footage of Original Sin II they reached out and asked if Larian was still interested.

Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023)

Fully released August 3, 2023. The development and marketing budget reportedly stood at around 70 million euros. It received universal acclaim, became one of the highest-rated games on multiple aggregators, and won Game of the Year at BAFTA, the Golden Joysticks, the Game Developers Choice Awards, DICE, and The Game Awards. The first title to sweep all five major ceremonies. An HBO television series based on the game was announced.

What’s Next for Larian Studios

At The Game Awards 2025 they announced a new Divinity game described as their biggest ever. They are also working on a second original project. Larian has offices in Ghent, Barcelona, Dublin, Guildford, Kuala Lumpur, Quebec, and Warsaw.