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'''Larian Studios''' is a [[Belgium|Belgian]] game developer which was founded in 1996<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/contractor_display.php?contractor_id=183 |title=Larian company information |publisher=Gamasutra.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> by [[Swen Vincke]] who derived its name from his dog, Pilar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/company/larian-studios-nv/trivia |title=Trivia about company name |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> It currently focuses on developing [[role-playing video game]] and educational games, apart from LEDWars<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.larian.com/ledwars.php |title=LEDWars Official site |publisher=Larian.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> which is a hardcore strategy game and a number of casino games.{{Additional citation needed|date=September 2011}}<ref>[http://www.rpgplanet.com/features/firstlooks/divinity/ Larian Casino Games].</ref>
'''Larian Studios''' is a [[Belgium|Belgian]] game developer which was founded in 1996<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/contractor_display.php?contractor_id=183 |title=Larian company information |publisher=Gamasutra.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> by [[Swen Vincke]] who derived its name from his dog, Pilar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/company/larian-studios-nv/trivia |title=Trivia about company name |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> It currently focuses on developing [[role-playing video game]] and educational games, apart from LEDWars<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.larian.com/ledwars.php |title=LEDWars Official site |publisher=Larian.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> which is a hardcore strategy game and a number of casino games.{{Additional citation needed|date=September 2011}}<ref>[http://www.rpgplanet.com/features/firstlooks/divinity/ Larian Casino Games].</ref>
==Notable works==
==Notable works==
Larian's first project was called ''The Lady, the Mage and the Knight (LMK)''. However, they were unable to gain the recognition of any publishers as none believed they were capable of creating a game.<ref>[http://www.fragland.net/specials/Larian-Studios-about-Divine-Divinity/1/ Paragraph 5, Lines 3-4: Publishing industry skeptical]{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> In order to rectify this and to prove them wrong, LEDWars (a strategy game) was developed within 5 months and published by Ionos in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/led-wars |title=Article about LEDWars at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> As a result, LMK soon evolved into a collaborative project between Larian Studios and [[Attic Entertainment Software]]. Due to various problems between the two development studios and its publisher, the project was abandoned in 1999.<ref>[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=de%7Cen&u=http://web.archive.org/web/20010815212428/www.larian.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000408.html The truth about LMK (by Lar also known as Swen)]{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref>
Larian's first project was called ''The Lady, the Mage and the Knight (LMK)''. However, they were unable to gain the recognition of any publishers as none believed they were capable of creating a game.<ref>[http://www.fragland.net/specials/Larian-Studios-about-Divine-Divinity/1/ Paragraph 5, Lines 3-4: Publishing industry skeptical] {{wayback|url=http://www.fragland.net/specials/Larian-Studios-about-Divine-Divinity/1/ |date=20110718120637 }}</ref> In order to rectify this and to prove them wrong, LEDWars (a strategy game) was developed within 5 months and published by Ionos in 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/led-wars |title=Article about LEDWars at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> As a result, LMK soon evolved into a collaborative project between Larian Studios and [[Attic Entertainment Software]]. Due to various problems between the two development studios and its publisher, the project was abandoned in 1999.<ref>[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=de%7Cen&u=http://web.archive.org/web/20010815212428/www.larian.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/000408.html The truth about LMK (by Lar also known as Swen)]{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref>


In 2002, Larian completed work on ''[[Divine Divinity|Divinity: Sword of Lies]]'' which was then published under the name ''[[Divine Divinity]]'' by CDV.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/divine-divinity |title=Information about Divine Divinity at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> In 2004, ''[[Beyond Divinity]]'', expansion to ''[[Divine Divinity]]'' was published under 2 editions: the standard version by Ubisoft Entertainment GmbH<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/beyond-divinity |title=Information about Beyond Divinity Standard Edition at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> and the deluxe version by MediaMix Benelux which contained ''Divine Divinity'', ''Beyond Divinity'' and a novella by [[Rhianna Pratchett]] called "Son of Chaos".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/beyond-divinity-deluxe-edition |title=Information about Beyond Divinity Deluxe Edition at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref>
In 2002, Larian completed work on ''[[Divine Divinity|Divinity: Sword of Lies]]'' which was then published under the name ''[[Divine Divinity]]'' by CDV.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/divine-divinity |title=Information about Divine Divinity at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> In 2004, ''[[Beyond Divinity]]'', expansion to ''[[Divine Divinity]]'' was published under 2 editions: the standard version by Ubisoft Entertainment GmbH<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/beyond-divinity |title=Information about Beyond Divinity Standard Edition at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> and the deluxe version by MediaMix Benelux which contained ''Divine Divinity'', ''Beyond Divinity'' and a novella by [[Rhianna Pratchett]] called "Son of Chaos".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/beyond-divinity-deluxe-edition |title=Information about Beyond Divinity Deluxe Edition at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref>
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In the same year (2004), KetnetKick (an educational and the first PC2TV game ever created) was developed for Ketnet and released by Transposia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/ketnetkick |title=KetnetKick |publisher=Mobygames.com |date=2004-10-29 |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> In 2006, ''Beyond Divinity'' was re-released under Gold Games 9 by Ubisoft Entertainment SA which was a set of 10 games on 6 DVDs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/gold-games-9 |title=Information about Gold Games 9 at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date=2006-10-12 |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref>
In the same year (2004), KetnetKick (an educational and the first PC2TV game ever created) was developed for Ketnet and released by Transposia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/ketnetkick |title=KetnetKick |publisher=Mobygames.com |date=2004-10-29 |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> In 2006, ''Beyond Divinity'' was re-released under Gold Games 9 by Ubisoft Entertainment SA which was a set of 10 games on 6 DVDs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/gold-games-9 |title=Information about Gold Games 9 at MobyGames |publisher=Mobygames.com |date=2006-10-12 |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref>


In March 2008, ''[[Adventure Rock]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/adventurerock |title=AdventureRock |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=1970-01-01 |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> an online virtual world was completed and released. This was later followed by the release of KetnetKick 2 in Oct 2008 by VRT, the national broadcaster in Belgium. In March 2009, ''[[GulliLand]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.larian.com/gulliland.php |title=GulliLand |publisher=Larian.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> was published by Jeunesse TV, a French national broadcasting channel. In January 2010, Larian released ''Divinity II: Ego Draconis'' - the sequel to ''Divine Divinity'' - to the US market on [[Xbox 360]] and Windows<ref>[http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=21557 ISM signs up Larian Studios]{{dead link|date=October 2013}}</ref> simultaneously, after releases in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Russia and Benelux. Larian has also produced ''Divinity II: Flames of Vengeance'', the highly anticipated expansion pack, and built a Gold Deluxe version that holds all ''Divinity II'' episodes, called ''Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga''.
In March 2008, ''[[Adventure Rock]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/adventurerock |title=AdventureRock |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=1970-01-01 |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> an online virtual world was completed and released. This was later followed by the release of KetnetKick 2 in Oct 2008 by VRT, the national broadcaster in Belgium. In March 2009, ''[[GulliLand]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.larian.com/gulliland.php |title=GulliLand |publisher=Larian.com |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> was published by Jeunesse TV, a French national broadcasting channel. In January 2010, Larian released ''Divinity II: Ego Draconis'' - the sequel to ''Divine Divinity'' - to the US market on [[Xbox 360]] and Windows<ref>[http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=21557 ISM signs up Larian Studios] {{wayback|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=21557 |date=20071214084051 }}</ref> simultaneously, after releases in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Russia and Benelux. Larian has also produced ''Divinity II: Flames of Vengeance'', the highly anticipated expansion pack, and built a Gold Deluxe version that holds all ''Divinity II'' episodes, called ''Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga''.


In August 2013 Larian released ''[[Divinity: Dragon Commander]]'', a game mixing strategy and role-playing elements in the ''Divinity'' universe, before the events of ''Divine Divinity''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gamestar.ru/article/1794.html |title=GameStar: Voices of Igromir 2011. Swen Vincke: "It won’t be bad, to have an army |publisher=Gamestar.ru |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> The game has received an overall positive reception and gained attention thanks to its novel approach to strategy.
In August 2013 Larian released ''[[Divinity: Dragon Commander]]'', a game mixing strategy and role-playing elements in the ''Divinity'' universe, before the events of ''Divine Divinity''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gamestar.ru/article/1794.html |title=GameStar: Voices of Igromir 2011. Swen Vincke: "It won’t be bad, to have an army |publisher=Gamestar.ru |date= |accessdate=2013-10-25}}</ref> The game has received an overall positive reception and gained attention thanks to its novel approach to strategy.

Revision as of 23:33, 22 January 2016

Larian Studios
Company typeVideo game studio
IndustryInteractive entertainment
Founded1996
FounderSwen Vincke
Headquarters
Ghent
,
Belgium
ProductsDivinity series
Number of employees
40
Websitelarian.com

Larian Studios is a Belgian game developer which was founded in 1996[1] by Swen Vincke who derived its name from his dog, Pilar.[2] It currently focuses on developing role-playing video game and educational games, apart from LEDWars[3] which is a hardcore strategy game and a number of casino games.[additional citation(s) needed][4]

Notable works

Larian's first project was called The Lady, the Mage and the Knight (LMK). However, they were unable to gain the recognition of any publishers as none believed they were capable of creating a game.[5] In order to rectify this and to prove them wrong, LEDWars (a strategy game) was developed within 5 months and published by Ionos in 1997.[6] As a result, LMK soon evolved into a collaborative project between Larian Studios and Attic Entertainment Software. Due to various problems between the two development studios and its publisher, the project was abandoned in 1999.[7]

In 2002, Larian completed work on Divinity: Sword of Lies which was then published under the name Divine Divinity by CDV.[8] In 2004, Beyond Divinity, expansion to Divine Divinity was published under 2 editions: the standard version by Ubisoft Entertainment GmbH[9] and the deluxe version by MediaMix Benelux which contained Divine Divinity, Beyond Divinity and a novella by Rhianna Pratchett called "Son of Chaos".[10]

In the same year (2004), KetnetKick (an educational and the first PC2TV game ever created) was developed for Ketnet and released by Transposia.[11] In 2006, Beyond Divinity was re-released under Gold Games 9 by Ubisoft Entertainment SA which was a set of 10 games on 6 DVDs.[12]

In March 2008, Adventure Rock,[13] an online virtual world was completed and released. This was later followed by the release of KetnetKick 2 in Oct 2008 by VRT, the national broadcaster in Belgium. In March 2009, GulliLand[14] was published by Jeunesse TV, a French national broadcasting channel. In January 2010, Larian released Divinity II: Ego Draconis - the sequel to Divine Divinity - to the US market on Xbox 360 and Windows[15] simultaneously, after releases in Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Russia and Benelux. Larian has also produced Divinity II: Flames of Vengeance, the highly anticipated expansion pack, and built a Gold Deluxe version that holds all Divinity II episodes, called Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga.

In August 2013 Larian released Divinity: Dragon Commander, a game mixing strategy and role-playing elements in the Divinity universe, before the events of Divine Divinity.[16] The game has received an overall positive reception and gained attention thanks to its novel approach to strategy.

Larian's latest game, Divinity: Original Sin has been released after several delays in June 2014. The game was funded partly thanks to a Kickstarter campaign[17] raising over 1 million dollars, out of an estimated 4 million budget, upon its release the game has been the fastest selling game of Larian to date.[18] The game is a turn-based RPG, and the events are set between Dragon Commander and Divine Divinity in the story.

Games developed

Planned games
Larian Studios logo for Educational Games
Larian Studios logo, Educational Games
Educational games

References

  1. ^ "Larian company information". Gamasutra.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  2. ^ "Trivia about company name". Mobygames.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  3. ^ "LEDWars Official site". Larian.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  4. ^ Larian Casino Games.
  5. ^ Paragraph 5, Lines 3-4: Publishing industry skeptical Template:Wayback
  6. ^ "Article about LEDWars at MobyGames". Mobygames.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  7. ^ The truth about LMK (by Lar also known as Swen)[dead link]
  8. ^ "Information about Divine Divinity at MobyGames". Mobygames.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  9. ^ "Information about Beyond Divinity Standard Edition at MobyGames". Mobygames.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  10. ^ "Information about Beyond Divinity Deluxe Edition at MobyGames". Mobygames.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  11. ^ "KetnetKick". Mobygames.com. 2004-10-29. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  12. ^ "Information about Gold Games 9 at MobyGames". Mobygames.com. 2006-10-12. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  13. ^ "AdventureRock". Bbc.co.uk. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  14. ^ "GulliLand". Larian.com. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  15. ^ ISM signs up Larian Studios Template:Wayback
  16. ^ "GameStar: Voices of Igromir 2011. Swen Vincke: "It won't be bad, to have an army". Gamestar.ru. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
  17. ^ "Kickstarter Campaign". Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  18. ^ "Divinity Original Sin is Larian Studio fastest selling game ever". Eurogamer. 2014-07-03. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  19. ^ "Information about LMK (The Lady, The Mage and The Knight)". Videogames.yahoo.com. 2010-11-09. Retrieved 2013-10-25.
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