Larian Studios have become a household name for PC gamers. Their release of Divinity: Original Sin 2 has only served to further establish them as a bit of an authority in regard to full-blooded RPGs, and it's no wonder that they've got some opinions about the tools that allowed them to get where they now are.
One of these tools is, naturally, Steam, and in an interview with a German video games magazine Gamestar, Larian Studios' founder and CEO Swen Vincke has very resolutely defended the fact that Steam takes a 30% cut off video game sales.
"Steam is not your enemy," said Vincke. "Steam is open, free, fair and does a great deal for our hobby. Steam has provided the best prices - for players and developers alike. That's good for all areas of the PC gaming market."
Vincke also mentioned that Steam is responsible for growth in areas of gaming that are less relevant to the average consumer, yet key all the same, such as that of trade show presentations or general VR technology. Further, he has also noted that Larian have profited much more off of Steam and GoG than they ever have in retail, and that there's less of a need for middlemen than there used to be.
Larian CEO concluded his interview with much brevity: "If Steam loses market power as a neutral platform, (money) will flow back to publishers even more. That's not good for the creative freedom of the developers.
If you'd like to back Larian's future projects due to their line of thinking, be sure to take a gander at their rather phenomenal Divinity: Original Sin 2 on Steam.
