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Larian Studios is facing a new wave of criticism after a number of former employees responded to statements made by CEO and founder Swen Vincke about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) within the studio, arguing that his words do not reflect the reality of the employees’ attitude.
Vincke had recently stated that almost everyone within the company is receptive to the use of AI, but these statements sparked controversy on social media, and as spotted by GamesRadar+, a former employee came out to directly refute this claim.
Anne Méthot, a former quality tester at Larian, said via the X platform that Fincke’s statements are incorrect, adding that she is not surprised by this trend after her previous experience within the studio and emphasizing that the claim that everyone is okay with the use of AI is inaccurate.
Another former employee, Selena Tobin, also voiced her displeasure, noting that she loved working at Larian until the advent of AI and called on management to show more respect for employees, emphasizing that Larian’s teams include world-class developers who don’t need AI to produce amazing ideas.
Fincke tried to contain the situation, explaining in subsequent posts on the X platform that the studio is not seeking to replace concept artists with AI and is not pushing hard in this direction. He also emphasized that Larian’s success is based on enabling people to work in their own style and showcase their creative skills.
Fincke added that evaluating new technologies is essential for any successful studio, but emphasized that workflows within the company are subject to change if they prove to be ineffective or do not align with Larian’s identity and core values.
The company announced that it will organize a Q&A session after the holidays to further clarify its position and answer questions from the community and developers about the use of AI.
The controversy comes at a time when Larian is receiving a lot of attention, especially after the recent reveal of the new Divinity project, which will rely on turn-based gam eplay and team collaboration with plans to follow the early access model of the studio’s previous games.
The crisis highlights the growing tension in the gaming industry between embracing AI and preserving the rights and role of human creativity within development teams.
