Baldur’s Gate 3 dev defends Bethesda amid Starfield criticism for lack of “passion”
Larian Studios / BethesdaBaldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield are both undeniable GOTY contenders and fair comparison between the two is unavoidable. Despite this, Baldur’s Gate 3’s dev team won’t stand for unfair criticism of Bethesda’s employees.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has been an unqualified success becoming the second biggest PC launch of 2023. It’s also claimed the title of one of the most concurrently played games of all time on Steam.
Despite a lukewarm reception out the gate, Starfield has also had a huge launch breaking records for Bethesda and Xbox. While soon enjoying success of its own, Starfield has certainly been the more divisive of the two games.
While neither title is above reproach, devs want critiques above the belt. Larian Studios’ Director of Publishing Michael Douse called out former WoW developer Mark Kerns for his low blows against Starfield’s creative team.
Kerns published side-by-side images of review scores for Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield in an effort to draw comparisons on Twitter. Kerns asserted that the disparity between scores was a result of “the difference that passion makes”.
Douse was having absolutely none of it and quickly put Kerns in his place calling the statement a “disingenuous oversimplification”. “It’s not true, or right, [to] suggest that the average developer at Bethesda lacks passion,” Douse went on.
Ever the magnanimous individual, Douse also attempted to shut down any dogpiling of Kerns in the replies. “I think he and I have similar views on AAA but it’s a leadership problem that shouldn’t be associated with the development teams who pour their hearts into their projects,” he clarified.
When other users encouraged him to “own that clown”, Douse kept a lid on that too, reiterating there’s “no need for that either”. Onlookers like YouTuber Mischief have called Douse’s defense of the hardworking Bethesda team “based”.
Larian’s team has garnered a lot of goodwill following the launch of Baldur’s Gate 3. Fans of the game have praised their transparency and philosophies on development.
Bethesda’s development team has also shown they’re willing to listen to Starfield players and what they want for the game. Fans of Starfield have rallied around Douse to defend it.
