Making games is a tough and enduring business. It helps to know what you’re getting into before venturing into the industry, be it making games on a large scale or contributing to it as a third party group in Southeast Asia.

It doesn’t hurt to get some insight, especially from experts like Larian Studios. And that’s what is happening with both the company that’s making Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC). Together, the both of them are hosting the Howest University of Applied Sciences Digital Arts and Entertainment (DAE) programme team for a 10-day fact-finding mission to explore potential collaboration with local universities and industry players. The objective is to “elevate game development education and the broader ecosystem holistically”. The venture as a whole is to add meaningful value to Malaysia’s game design and development scene, among many others related to the human capital development circle.

The DAE is ranked first in the world by The Rookies as the best game design & development school in 2021. The DAE’s alumni have worked on projects such as Dragon Commander (from Larian Studios), Grand Theft Auto 5, and Knack. One could say that this partnership could be a big deal for Malaysia’s game development scene, assuming the 10 days spent bore actual fruit.

On a related note, Larian Studios’ latest game Baldur’s Gate is pushed back to 2023, though you can play the Early Access version of the game right now on Steam.