Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian Studios opened a new operation in Warsaw earlier this month to help support the development of "two very ambitious RPGs." There's just one problem: Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is already home to one of the world's most ambitious RPG studios, CD Projekt. Is there room in that town for both of them?
It might seem like kind of an odd question at first blush: Warsaw has a greater population than the Canadian city of Montreal, home to multiple game studios from companies including Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Warner, and others. (Larian also has a studio in nearby Quebec City.) But in case there was any doubt, CD Projekt joint chief operating officer Piotr Karwowski said it's all good in the 'hood.
"When it comes to Larian opening up a new studio, the more the merrier," Karwowski said during an investors call. "Larian are great people, Swen is a great guy, and that team is great ... I completed [Baldur's Gate 3], I loved it. Big fan of D&D as well personally.
"Do we see any threats? To be honest there's always a threat that somebody can leave and go somewhere else, and whether they have a studio in Warsaw or it's a job opportunity somewhere else, the difference is not that big. The world is a pretty small place, and developers, especially at a senior level, are very often mobile. And if somebody didn't want to work on the project but they dream of working with somebody else, they will do it anyway. So having Larian next door or not, does not change that much from our perspective. We wish them nothing but the best."
It's a reasonable position to take: I'm not intimately familiar with EU rules but generally speaking, borders between European nations are pretty permeable when it comes to relocating for work. And while Larian is no doubt a powerhouse RPG studio, CD Projekt is very much its equal in that regard. And as Larian boss Swen Vincke himself said when announcing the new studio in Warsaw, "There's a lot of talent here." Enough to go around, apparently.
