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Larian’s Swen Vincke Urges Kinder Reviews, Floats Metacritic-Style Scores for Critics

His proposal drew pushback from games journalists who warn it could chill frank critique.

Overview

  • In posts on X, the Baldur's Gate 3 director argued that harsh words do real damage and asked reviewers to avoid personal attacks.
  • He suggested critics be scored Metacritic-style based on how others evaluate their work, presenting it as a way to encourage restraint.
  • Vincke later clarified he was not defending developers who attack players or try to milk customers, adding that Larian would not do so.
  • Journalists including Jeff Gerstmann and Eurogamer editor Chris Tapsell criticized the idea, with coverage noting no plan for how such a system would work.
  • The remarks arrived as Highguard drew heavy negativity online and follow scrutiny of Vincke’s earlier generative-AI comments.