So apparently Larian has been offered a buyout.
Original Dutch News Source
Translated News

I cannot blame them for accepting, if they do. But IF they do, we will have to wait for another good independent company like Larian to rise, because surely a bought-out Larian will either be shut down in due time or corrupted and forced to obey corporate policies that hardcore RPG gamers generally hate.

It's scary thinking about what might happen, because success has been the downfall of other great companies. History is littered with software companies that have been bought out only to be destroyed. Competition is a bitch and some bitches out there have a lot of money.

Enough to buy Larian? I hope not. They're finally getting the mainstream traction they so deserve, and now some other company is lying in wait trying to poach them, so we can get another EA Bioware shit fiasco. Sorry, but I have never seen anything good come from buyouts. Anyone care to provide positive examples?

I did not read anything in that article about a buyout offer. Think you might have misread the translation.

Guess you did not read it very well

`

Google translate is horrendous

Anyone Dutch?

What's up with that sensationalist headline? It's quite normal that big publishers approach a game developer after they proved themselves and obviously made a great game which sells well. It would be pretty weird if not. That's just business as usual and that doesn't mean that Larian actually sell out anytime in the future. If you really think so you obviously don't know Swen Vincke and the whole history of Larian as a development studio. I can only recommend reading his blog and the developer's journal which was part of the Divinity Anthology....

It's actually a pretty good translation. And LordCrash is right, that they're getting attention is quite normal, in fact, this is a good thing.

Thanks captains Obvious. I regularly read lar.net and find it enlightening. Even so, Larian has been close to shutting down several times, and this pot of gold might be mighty tempting. Especially since Swen is not immediately shutting down the possibility, but keeping the door open.

Larian is the "Ghent studio" who is "having choice stress" after two years getting this game ready for launch. It's not the name of a studio trying to buy them out.

Also the term "they have been here to buy us" is used right after talking about the game's delay. It could very well be referring to the fans waiting to buy the game.

Obviously they are the Ghent studio!

And no, it could not refer to fans waiting to buy the game. Read it in Dutch, if you know it and don't trust google translate. Some of us are bi and tri-lingual. Seriously, your take on the interpretation is preposterous.

I don't know what to think.
A corporate buyout is universally bad and NEVER has it given good results. I remember reading about CDPR's fight to hold onto their IPs and remain independent and how it's payed off for them. I love and respect Larian, they've made some of the most memorable and charming games I've played. If a larger company buys them (read - kills them) I would be sad.

It's always the case with success, when you have money everyone wants a piece of it. With the awareness of Larian now with this release sitting as a Steam top-seller hopefully they'll stay indie. In fact, Original Sin made me buy Dragon Commander.

How could the shut down the possiblity? Hanging a big sign "no publishers allowed" sign at the front door?

Have you read the developer's journal of the Anthology as well?

Swen was/is so happy about being able to finally cut lose from pubs and he even called the development of D:OS the "most rewarding period of his life" so it's imo barely imaginable that he should sell out just soon after. That makes no sense at all. Money isn't everything in life and Larian obviously make games out of passion and not games for the biggest possible audience...

I'm looking forward to someone at Larian getting greedy and selling the studio to EA so we can get quality games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect from Larian as well.

I'd be a bit disappointed/wary if they accepted merely at the risk of more mainstream future titles which undo the success they worked to build (see Blizzard if looking at it in an artistic sense), but would not blame them at because money is, no matter what idealistic people say, is pretty damn awesome and there's a certain kind of justice of a studio like Larian being smacked around by publishers and then finally making it big and with $$$$ after pulling the shoestrings needed to their own way.



Sure it does. Larian is still engaging in business first and foremost. They are doing what they love--making these good games, but everyone loves money, too, and money does buy happiness.

I'm not surprised it caught someones attention. I'm still surprised how well D:OS is selling. I guess I never knew how many people missed the old CRPGs.

That said, I think a lot of people would agree that EA about ruined Bioware among other studios. Playing with bigger companies is a scary thought for most gamers. But it is a common occurance in business practice.

Larian has gone an amazingly long time solo all these years. And I'm sure either way they'll make the right decision for them and their vision of the future.

Hmm...doubtless Swen could be tempted with enough Belgian beer and chocolate - the question then is whether Belgium's brewers and chocolatiers could produce enough to meet his likely asking price.

Nobody said that you don't need money. But if they can make games without the money from pubs they will do so. With kickstarter and Early Access (and own money) there is imo just no reason for Larian to sell out to publishers.

And no, money can't buy happiness. That's one of the biggest fallacies of humanity but sadly most people only realize that when it's already too late...

Money does buy gratification though. I'd be pretty gratified right now if I had a Starbucks Frap.

Well ... I'll just hope that it wasn't EA knocking on their door and assume everything will work out.

I have to login and unlurk specifically to say big flat NO to this.
It'll be a nightmare.

Just imagine....


-------


*breaking news*

I, the overlord of EA, have bought them out!

Expect some special golden weresheep armor for 14.99 as your next content update. I hope you all enjoy! Also I will be retiring the staff secretly and replacing them with my C team hacks just like I did with Bioware.

Welcome to EA! Enjoy your 30 day stay team Larian! (we are waiting on some more printing paper to hand out termination notices).

EA have Bioware.

Yeah it would be really nice if EA bought larian. They published many great games, e.g. Dragon Age 2, and i think D:OS definietly would be a better game if it had some of the DA2 features. For example very cool feature - reusing dungeons, so once you finished one side quest, you know the way through the dungeon, so next time you don't need to search for things like an idiot, but go straight to the goal. And also DA2 had much better combat, I was just pushing buttons randomly and enemies were dying in very spectacular way, lot of flashes, exlosions, very fast and good looking combat, certainly superior to the slow, boring chess-like turn based combat in D:OS. And it had lot of DLCs, and of course we all love DLCs. And it was possible to have sex with your companions. Sadly, no sex scenes in D:OS.

Yeah, EA definietly is the best RPG publisher. Just look at Bioware, they were making weak games with shitty graphics, lame non-epic stories, without core RPG features like quest markers etc. (e.g Baldur's Gate) And now under EA they're making greatest RPG's ever. (e.g mentioned earlier DA2, Mass Effect 3, etc.)

So Larian, please sell yourself to EA!

Yes, and I dislike EA. I also dislike DA2 and ME3's ending, thus I now dislike BioWare. Note that what I dislike about BioWare never started until after EA acquired them. But I could go on with a rant about this for way too long and I have better things to do with my time.

The funny thing is, Larian is one of those studios of old that can still be collected by publishers, but having proven their worth they are in a position not to give up complete freedom (unlike ever before). It's the sheer will to make a game like they want it to be - not what some remote guy tells it to be - that made this game what it was. A publisher would be great if it would only do what it's supposed to do: invest, advertise and distribute. Not to mingle. Utopia.

I hope they stay independent.. There making tons of more money then working for a AAA publisher. But it's not easy for being independent, since one or two failed projects can be fatal. I just hope they know what there doing.

You also missed the point completely.

You mean the terrible grammar? I just assumed you were from a non-English speaking country.

I hope they stay independant as well. Although they wont have the money backing you get from a big publisher they can do what they want and as yhey have proven here they can produce a classic game without the need for a publisher.

dont sell out to EA

Hmmm what if EA bought Larian...

1. Larian renamed to "Bioware Belgium."

2. New features of next Divinity game:

A. Every NPC now bisexual and bangable.

B. Conversation system replaced by superior dialog wheel with black and white "good" and "evil" choices always in the same location so you can just hold down the same direction and not read anything.

C. Exciting Day 1 DLC which includes the ability to have companions and online play!

D. Dungeons made more "familiar" to the player because they all use a slightly reskinned version of the same map!

E. Quest markers added to remove dependence on "thought."

F. Turn based combat removed in favor of new "cinematic" system where you watch your characters do a bunch of fancy moves, and don't even have to bother controlling them if you don't want to.

My grammar is all right. You can see a company as both, singular or plural, depending on whether you speak about the company as an entity or as a group of people.

My point was that EA already have a studio which makes party RPGs. It's highly unlikely that they would buy another studio for the same purpose.

They could theoretically buy them just to eliminate competition...but honestly I think that's unlikely.

RPGs aren't really EA's bread and butter, and they would probably have to pay Larian too much for a buyout given their recent success.

I don't see how Bioware and Larian stand in any serious competition. And even if they made games for the same audience, games are not either/or products. Quite the opposite, you can sell more games in a strong genre with a huge general demand. There would only be competition if their games were released in the same week...

if EA bought them, each of the AI personality that was released in patch would instead be released as DLC

like the Rascal DLC - unlock a whole new AI personality!

Only $4.99 per personality. Or, buy them all for the special bundle price of only $24.99! Act now, supplies are limited.

That's true, I agree with you .

But I do think that EA does think about competition that way. Just look at what they did with their NFL/Madden deal to eliminate any football game competition in a Monopoly-esque fashion.

I can't think of any of the "big ones" buying Larian. Won't fit into their double tripple dipple AAA IP strategy.
Someone like Paradox maybe.

Beloved Larians,

please just don't give yourself to the corporate slaughterhouse. We want yet more games like D:OS, not like most of the resounding so-called rpgs of the past 10 years!

Sincerely,
your fan.

Since EA is a hot topic in this thread

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrQqt4hG6SI&feature=player_detailpage#t=428

I don't even know why everyone hates EA so much. Imo Activision is much more evil. Activision/Blizzard is the company I hate most in gaming...

Do you actually have a job and earn money? I don't mean to sound derogatory, but anyone who says "money can't buy happiness" sounds like they just don't have a concept of how money actually works. Money may or may not be able to directly buy happiness, but having enough and plenty of money frees you up from doing stuff you don't want or need to do and gives you the opportunity to go out there and find what does make you happy. So even if money does not directly allow you to purchase happiness, it does indirectly allow you to find happiness.

LordCrash - The choice between them is like choosing either pest (EA) or collera (Activision/Blizzard), both will kill you eventually, just a matter of time. None of them are good.

Are we in a philosophy course right now? Anyway, that's way off topic.

Activision used to be the favorite whipping boy, but EA ripped the title from them. To be honest I don't play many Activision games and never any MMO's anymore. I did like StarCraft but when they decided to sell StarCraft 2 in three parts, I lost all interest. Now I just watch the cutscenes on YouTube.

Well, if Acitivison games are that bad that you don't even play them anymore... :P

EA games have at least something that can be enjoyed.

Blizzard is a bit different, but their games are way overprized. The expansion for Diablo 3 basically costs as much as full price games from other developers (e.g. Larian). And they almost never go on sale. And I hate their always-online policy. You actually can't become more evil than Blizzard in terms of DRM...

Well Diablo lost me when I saw the PC character models and classes. Then the price ... and auction house ... yeah, Blizzard is a bastard all right.

So, since we are on the topic ... if Larian had to be sold, who would you want to buy them?

CD Projekt

OMG JUST HAD THE BEST IDEA EVA!!!!

Sega buys out Larian, hands them over to Atlus...Next Divinity game has S-LINKS!!!!!

WOOOOOO

------

Actually Im a fan of Atlus and I do think Sega is getting a lot better (with the occasional one step forward 2 steps back mentality...) so I can't hate on em too much :p.

Here's a serious thought. I would rather pay a more premium 50-60 dollars for their future game as a self publisher where the game is made as intended than as a bought out developer where their intentions are suppressed by corporate politics. Just a thought!

Paradox?
But yeah, let's keep them in European hands.

(No, I don't think they will sell themselves out either)

lol, this is so wrong.

money does indeed buy happiness until you reach a level where you know your bills are paid, you have food on the table, and little to worry about.

the majority of stress people face in life comes from financial problems and bills. this is completely based on money.

the only time that phrase is remotely true is if you are talking about a wealthy man who wants to be even more wealthy. well sure, he doesnt really need more money. at some point it will just become greed.

however, just saying money doesnt buy happiness like some blanket statement is some fairy tale crap from childhood stories like santa claus. you know he doesnt exist right?

I would be very disappointed if Larian got bought out. So far with someone else pulling the strings, it has caused Larian Studios a lot of headachs.

The article is hard to read, but it appears as if both parties, Larian and the potential buyer, are remaining anonymous. The key facts are first they are all going to take a vacation when things die down and going to think about this offer for a while. I would hope that Swen would talk to the community first, but then again he's been threw hell in the past 12 years with the company.

If he gets bought out, I doubt he'll get to make the game he's been dreaming of. I can't imagine the Divinity series in the hands of someone else. I've already seen how one of my favorite game series went to hell, Castlevania.... talk about a game series that got so utterly ruined.

Mr. Fritz,
Money will buy you some happiness, the rest of the happiness one can get is threw some sort of passion. Right now my faith is that Swen is in it for creating an awesome gaming experiance and earn a good living at the same time. I'd be shocked, horrified, angry, disgusted.... ok I'll go with "all sorts of un-Godly miserable" to find out he sold out.

Also, Santa DOES exist... I've just been a very naughty boy for the past two decades of my life and he won't even waste his time delivering me coal!

I am hysterical and crying over this. Please please please don't sell out Larian!

(sheesh, you guys )

Another philosophy course? Thanks for taking my quote out of context but anyway, way offtopic.

From a purely selfish point of view, I hope that Larian doesn't get bought out. Unlike some people I'm fond of some of the AAA RPG that have come out lately. But variety is a good thing; I want both D:OS and DA:I.

That being said, if I was offered a couple of million dollars for an asset of mine, I rather suspect Mrs Askarn would be... unhappy if I said no. End of the day, Swen has to do what's best for him and his.

Please people from Larian, don't let anyone buy you. You managed to create a real game, a game that true pc players always dreamed about, but it was forbidden to create in a world where gaming industry is corrupted by evil entities.

You proved that it's still possible, that there is still hope.

Stay true to your heart.

I don't think the developers ("people who created the game") are the ones to decide this. Such cases are usually handled by director / board of directors - by those who own Larian at the moment, not by people who work in the company, sadly. However, Larian might be just the case of the director being the developer and a game lover himself.

It is actually my understanding that Swen owns the company. Or am I wrong?

Yup and BioWare are a joke, Dragon Age Origins was the last decent game they made.

EDIT: Reply to Jacob, above post wasn't here back then

Yup. They're not a stockmarketed company, so no 'board of directors' either...

But really, people actually imagine Larian would do this after just experiencing the liberating feeling of not being owned or guided by a publisher, what they wished for for years...?

EA are worse than Activision for these reasons:
1) Killed way more good developers than Activision.
2) Way greedier than Activision.
3) DRM and DLC policies are worse than Activision.
4) Own more good franchises than Activision and either don't use them or rape them.
5) Activision has less sequel shovelware factories.
6) EA attempt to save face by hiding behind the LGBT community and claiming "it's the player's fault", while Acti are just a passive cancer on the gaming industry.
7) They have their own spyware client.

I wish I was stuck in 2004, where EA were respectable and would still publish good games for several more years.

1) True
2) Not true
3) Not true
4) True
5) Hahahaha... Nope. EA is super-original compared to Activitions repeat infinitum

Those are some nice arguments you posted there, chief.

I was only speaking hypothetically as I don't know myself. There are a lot of people here that love Larian games that also are in tighter contact with developers than me. I've created a large gratitude thread a few years ago after playing Divinity 2: Ego Draconis but that was it

I suspect that one can learn a lot about Larian management from those videos the guys over at Larian are constantly making for the fans. But I consciously didn't watch them not to know more about the game that was stated upon general announcement. And still I guess those videos are aimed at showcasing the games and the development process rather then delving into management structure so there still might be something behind Swen. I might be wrong though and I better be wrong, Swen seems like a really great guy.

LOL! I think that's might not even be the whole list.

I see your Sims 3 list and raise you selling maps of past CoD's to the sequel that came a year after that for 15 euro a piece...

Those cost 500 euro?
EA are selling pets for 35 euro.

Also you're referring to map packs, which include at least two maps. Not defending the concept, both are cancer, EA is just the larger one. Consider that all the DLC released for Modern Warfare 2 costs less than the pet DLC for The Sims 3.

Don't ever sell out please. I can't phantom the horror alone seeing Larian games under the likes of EA or Bethesda. Ugh..

Torchlight 2 is an example of dev studio bought and it helped release a game most will agree it fits the (small) series and is better.

Blizzard had all the money to polish to death D3, but is that some key people left is because of the dev studio bought? It's not that clear.

Origin Systems is an example often quoted as a studio killed by its bought, but when you look in detail it's far to be that clear. For Ultima series, Ultima VII part 2 has been released after EA bought. Ok let say it's been a dynamic out of EA context. But games as Crusader: No Remorse or No Regret was done long after EA bought. Wing Commander III was done after EA bought.

It feels like before EA bought the studios was in the rise and after in decline. But the details don't confirm it. Looks more like a normal studio dev life cycle, at some point their fail to adapt to evolution of the market, their passion decline, their creativity starts decline. For me Origin get killed by its inability to design games with good controls, they was trying to be inventive on that matter but was mainly tedious to awful.

Larian would be stupid to accept any deal before the phenomenal success of DoS has finished show all its scale. Even then if the success is confirmed and the passion is still here, I doubt big money will make them not try their chance one more time. And if the passion isn't here much then I doubt any DoS follow-up will be this good.

I could understand Swen wanting financial security, it sounds like it's been tough for a few years, but it would be sad that after finally getting out from publishers and achieving a large success, to then sell out to a cooperate overlord.

I thought there was an Ikea pack, but it turns out that was for Sims 2.

Seeing those lists though makes me relieved to have boycotted both for the last decade (aside from DRM-free releases on GOG). A plague on both their houses.

How does that matter? The games from Acitivision just suck...


I would call it even. Both have the highest prices for games in the industry and both want to push the price upwards no matter what.


Agreed. But for how long?


I don't see how this makes Activision a better company. Also Diablo 3 proves you wrong...


CoD proves you wrong. But if you mean mobile: yes.


I don't think it's EA acting like that, it's just Bioware. And then it's just your interpretation.


Say hello to the Battlenet.


I don't say that I like EA that much. In fact I hate them for what they've done to Dragon Age. But then again, when I look at the games Activision produces and the way Blizzard handles DRM and the money they want for their games I can't call them better. Evil is evil anyway. There is no real comparative to evil...

Incidently, I would be surprised if either Activision Blizzard or EA were looking to buy Larian.

Activision Blizzard keeps their game design centralised in North America. EA already has its RPG plate rather full.

Larian RPG have Soul, and I give them my money. I bought all the games in the series Divinity.
EA, Blizzard, Bioware and bla, bla, bla... (other Big Developer or Publisher) I'll take their game with torrent, because they make the game only for money. No Soul, no working with players, publisher cut a lot interesting thing often, insert homosexuality in game (this disgusting, imho).

If one of Big Game Company absorb Larian, it will be terrible.(

With the success of DOS I think Larian would be crazy to sell out for quick money. They have now more earning potential than they ever have. They are doing what they love without a worthless suit telling them what to do. Developing what they want to develop is the dream.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Larian Studios buy the Divinity IP from a big name publisher after Divinity 2?

Why hasn't Bethesda come up in this discussion? Forget day one DLC, how about game breaking bugs months after release.

As for EA, I certainly was terribly depressed when they bought out Bioware. The wounds from the Westwood buyout/rape-fest were still fresh. That and Bullfrog. But really, Westwood was a great studio. Dragon Age: Origins was a really good game, as was Mass Effect. You can then see how EA dug their claws in and bastardized Bioware games. Mass Effect 2 was more of a cover shooter, but still an RPG of sorts. Mass Effect 3 is strait up shooter, however, with some dialog choices and weapon/class customizations.

As for Dragon Age 2, someone took a steaming dump on a really good (just short of great) game. I tried to play it, but between the sameness of location, ridiculous combat (which was too easy even with the difficulty cranked up), and general blandness I couldn't finish it. Mass Effect 3, with all its faults, is still a good game. As long as you don't try to judge it as an RPG, you'll likely find it to be a fine addition to a game library. Dragon Age 2, however, has no place in any one's game library.

[edit]

Oh really? That's the best time to sell out. Both Westwood and Bioware sold out after huge hits.

[edit2] Oh, and I can't really comment about Actizard. The only games of their's I've really played are Warcraft 2 and III, both of which were really great games, but any hope of a decent sequel is shot thanks to WoW (which doesn't stay faithful to the Warcraft lore).

I don't have as big a hate for the big publishers as some do. I tend to think there's a place for the big, eye-candy, games and even for dumb fun.

At the same time I also see the downside of what happens when a big publisher buys an indie and the most harmful thing is to rush deadlines for getting things done. Games come out half-baked and buggy because big publishers are pushing hard for a quicker release. I think Larian have already experienced this once with Divinity 2 and hence the "developers cut."

If they do sell themselves I'd prefer Paradox as they seem to allow their developers more time and leeway. However they are developing two new fantasy CRPG's right now (Runemaster and Pillars of Eternity) so from a business standpoint I don't see how grabbing Larian would benefit them or diversify their offerings. I think people can breathe out about EA. I don't see that either not with DA:I so close to being out and I've got a sneaking suspicion that that game will restore them a bit (just a gut suspicion and nothing more-i.e. turn out better than people suspect right now).

But if Larian do decide to go with a biggie I just hope for oursakes and theirs that they get one that will really nuture their projects and not just try to milk them (and us) for profits. I'd rather Larian stayed indie though. Seems they've got the cash to if they want.

Paradox don't develop Pillars of Eternity. They don't even publish it. They only do physical distribution and a bit of marketing and PR. They are a contractor of Obsidian Entertainment, that's all.

There is great value in seeing something you created grow. There is great value in doing what you want to do as a studio. Any buyer would be buying the increased earning potential of the company. There is no logical reason to sell this unless you are only in it for quick money. The purchase is just an advance on money that would be earned in the future without selling the company. Why not make that money your own way doing what you want to do?

Right I should have stated otherwise as it is Obsidian who is developing the game however I do think Paradox will be the publisher if they are distributing it.

Instead of buying out Larian should consider working together with some of the other indi studio's. You know pool resources.
Would think them and Daedalic could produce some awesome games (http://www.daedalic.de/en#1)

Daedalic could definitely add some more story depth as well as the franchises they have available to them like Das Schwarze Auge. On top of that they are a publisher in Germany and so have connections/experience on that front as well. On the humor department they are also a good match with Larians humor vs Deponia or Harvey's new Eyes.

Don't think CDPR is a good fit with Larian, too different....

Daedalic doesn't have the money to buy Larian.

Didn't mention anything about buying out LC, said something about a partnership/working together

So a quarter of million units sold already? Congrats Larian!. But if the news of buyout that is a nightmare!

I hope Larian do not sell it's soul to the devil. Please.

Well, they could sell Larian, have everyone quit, and use all the money to form Larian 2.0 under a new name and keep being independent.

Win/Win?

For what purpose? They already working together since Daedalic does distribution in Germany/Austria/Switzerland. I don't think Daedalic could help Larian in any other way, storytelling/writing included.

I think Larian should increase their inhouse writing team instead with the money they probably made with D:OS. Three writers are really a small number for story heavy RPGs imo. I think the next Larian game (or D:OS expansion) would profit from "more" and more in depth writing. You can't achieve that with only one or two writers imo. In the old Infinity engine games each companions were written by different authors which also gave them some variety.

No, they are not. Being the publisher actually means that a publishing company finances the development of a video game made by development studio. In most cases the publisher also owns the trademarks of the game. In the case of Pillars of Eternity, Paradox is only a contractor. They don't invest any money in the development in the game. Instead they get a share of the sales for their services in distribution and marketing/PR and quality management. So you could say that Paradox do a few thing a traditional publisher would normally do but their connection with Obisidan is completely different. They also don't own the game or the trademark so they don't have any power to influence the development of the game. That's 100% up to Obsidian themselves.

^exactly.

Besides, having a publisher doesn't mean you're no longer independent in development. Think of publishers of books. The author can be completely freely creative if they're famous enough.

Publishers help with advertisements, localization, support the devs on multiple platforms etc...

...setting deadline, telling the devs to push out games before they're ready, telling the devs what can and cannot go into a game, preventing devs from using the IP they themselves developed etc...

Exactly. Hell, it got to a point that publishers wouldn't even fund some genre's at all! Think about the clone wars, cheesy FPS and RTS rip offs for 15 years. Hardly anything else was getting funded.

I stopped buying games from Bioware and Westwood Studio the day they have been bought by EA.
And I was a very big fan of a) Baldur's Gate (as almost everybody here I guess ;)) and b) of Command & Conquer serie.
Both have been completely destroyed by EA.

Since the Might & Magic heroes 6 fiasco from Ubisoft I stopped buying games from them too.

My last 2 games were: Age of Wonders 3 and Original Sin ... 2 from Indies companies.

Larian, please, continue on, do not sell your soul.

Imarion

Book publishers and game publishers are not the same. A traditional game publisher finances the game development. In fact the publisher owns the game, having almost 100% control over the project.

Everything else is not video game publishing in the traditional sense.

Thank you for clarifying that.

I would like to think any signed agreement can have variations of how the structure is set up between publisher and developer. There isn't a one size fits all stipulation.

Of course there are variations. But it's pointless to call a company a publisher of a game if the actual contract lacks various important points which define the status of a publisher...

I just would like to join the chorus of the people here who plead with Larian to stay independent...

Hell, I really can't wait for Swen's next blog post. I hope it will include all the business stuff (publishers, media, sales, lessons learnt, future plans,...)

Indeed, what Swen says is infinitely more interesting than speculation.

That said, someone mentioned Paradox and I thought they might not make a bad match (I personally think Paradox are pretty good, but I can't say I know much), but I can't really think of any good Paradox RPGs off the top of my head, so I ultimately don't know how well that'd work.

Paradox develop grand strategy games and publish risky and niche titles fairly often without meddling too much, but their DLC policy is the same as EA's, well not exactly, but it's close.