The Masterclass in Game Design: Swen Vincke’s Stupidly Simple Manifesto for Crafting Timeless Games
Avinash Rohra 
The video game industry has been plagued by corporate greed, heartbreaking layoffs, and the collapse of major AAA titles, leading many multi-generational gamers to claim that the industry is doomed—a sentiment echoed in the losses the industry faced in 2024. However, at The Game Awards 2024, we received what in my opinion should be considered a blueprint for creating enjoyable, successful games, straight from the mouth of Swen Vincke, the brilliant mind behind Baldur’s Gate 3 and the winner of the 2023 Game of the Year award.
Swen’s manifesto isn’t just a set of rules—it’s a call to developers to embrace passion, creativity, and bold innovation. This is the ultimate guide to making a game that resonates and lasts—this is a speech you won’t want to miss!
“I realize you guys have been sitting here for over three hours, but I still have some time credits from last year to cash in.
So, it turns out that not only will I be the one who knows first which game wins tonight, but I also know which game is going to win next year, the year after, and the year after that.
Now, how do I know this? Well, an Oracle told me.
It’s a modern Oracle, so they made me sign an NDA. But I trust all of you—I know you can keep a secret.
The Oracle told me that the Game of the Year 2025 is going to be made by a studio.
A studio that found the formula to make it up here on stage.
It’s stupidly simple, but somehow, it keeps getting lost.
This studio made their game because they wanted to make a game they wanted to play themselves.
They created it because it hadn’t been created before.
They didn’t make it to increase market share.
They didn’t make it to serve as a brand.
They didn’t have to meet arbitrary sales targets or fear being laid off if they didn’t meet those targets.
And furthermore, the people in charge forbade them from cramming the game with anything whose sole purpose was to increase revenue without serving the game design.
They didn’t treat their developers like numbers on a spreadsheet. They didn’t treat their players as users to exploit.
They didn’t make decisions they knew were shortsighted, just to chase a bonus or appease politics.
They knew that if you put the game and the team first, the revenue would follow.
They were driven by idealism. They wanted players to have fun.
And they realized that if the developers didn’t have fun, nobody was going to have fun.
They understood the value of respect—that if they treated their developers and players well, those same developers and players would forgive them when things didn’t go as planned.
But above all, they cared about their game because they loved games.
It’s really that simple.
The Oracle said that winning Game of the Year turned out to be a life-changing event for this studio. It was an amazing moment.
To those who will win Game of the Year 2024—you have no idea what’s waiting for you.
It’s an incredible honor, and you’re in for a heck of a ride.
Now, remember—should you be told to wrap it up for tonight, you can always come back next year and chat for three minutes.”
– Swen Vincke
Here’s the link to the video of above speech
His words celebrated a developer’s commitment to crafting games they genuinely love, free from the pressures of revenue-driven compromises or arbitrary targets. Vincke’s speech was both a tribute to his team’s achievement and a hopeful manifesto for the industry’s future—a reminder that putting players and creators first leads to magic.
I personally will be keeping this as my vision whenever i start developing games. Thank You for this beautiful insight Swen.
