Baldur’s Gate 3 Dev Larian’s Huge 2023 Profits Revealed

ign.com:

While the mainstream success of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game Baldur’s Gate 3 is undeniable, developer Larian has yet to announce a sales figure. But after financial records for last year were made public, we finally have an idea of just how big Baldur’s Gate 3 really was.

Confirmation comes from financial records posted by the Dublin, Ireland holding company for Larian, which is ostensibly based in Belgium, and controlled by majority shareholder, founder, and CEO Swen Vincke. (Ireland is one of the world’s most significant tax havens, with corporate tax revenues exploding in the country over the last decade.)

According to a paywalled report by the Irish Independent, Larian posted a €249 million (approx $260.9 million) pre-tax profit for 2023, which included the August release of Baldur’s Gate 3. Revenue for the year hit €427 million (approx $447.5 million).

Larian has never announced a sales figure for Baldur’s Gate 3, although publishing director Michael Douse indicated in February that the game had sold well over 10 million copies, and Hasbro, the parent company of Dungeons & Dragons owner Wizards of the Coast, said in March that Baldur's Gate 3 had earned it $90 million due to its licensing deal with Larian. The Irish Independent reported that Baldur’s Gate 3 had sold around 15 million copies and paid out a €28 million dividend this year as a result.

Larian’s bumper 2023 financial results are in stark contrast to the company’s 2022, which saw a loss of €214,000 (approx $224,100) off the back of just €22.7 million (approx $23.7 million) in revenue. Baldur’s Gate 3’s wild success, then, was a game-changer for Larian, and that’s without taking into consideration the ongoing sales Baldur’s Gate 3 has pulled in so far in 2024. Indeed, Douse has said that Baldur’s Gate 3 has 20% more active daily users this year than last, with mods helping to fuel seemingly never-ending interest in the RPG.

Vincke told IGN in September that the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 meant