Larian Studios Proves Again They Are the Coolest Studio as Part of World Cup Celebrations

11 hours ago 3

Larian Studios Proves Again They Are the Coolest Studio as Part of World Cup Celebrations

Published Jul 20, 2026, 2:01 PM EDT

Tay Garcia is a Contributor at DualShockers and a Brazilian journalist who has been covering games professionally since 2017. Her work spans news, reviews, previews, lists, guides, and features, with a particular focus on horror, retro games, theories, puzzle games, Metroidvanias, Soulslikes, and story-driven titles.

Before joining DualShockers, Tay worked as an assistant editor and contributed to Jovem Nerd, one of Brazil’s largest pop culture outlets, as well as Editora Europa, a major Brazilian publisher known for gaming and technology magazines. She has also worked as a streamer, YouTube creator, and podcaster. Tay holds a B.A. in Journalism, has postgraduate training in Social Media, and is certified in professional video game journalism. She was also a member of Podcast UP, which won the Cubo de Ouro Award for Best Podcast in Brazil in 2021.

For me, video games and football share similar emotions. Both worlds thrive on tension, anticipation, learning from your painful mistakes, and, of course, that rewarding feeling when a hard-fought victory is finally secured! Whether you are facing a brutal boss fight after dozens of failed attempts or watching your national team defend a fragile lead in stoppage time, the adrenaline rush is quite identical. And as it turns out, the wonderful minds over at Larian Studios seem to share that exact same thinking.

Following a grueling 120 minutes of football drama during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Spain managed to capture its second historical title with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over defending champion Argentina. While it might not have been the most flashy or high-scoring match in tournament history, the raw emotion on display was unmatched. And football fans across the globe watched as Spanish supporters celebrated their country’s first global crown since 2010.

However, because the epic final took place on a Sunday night, millions of fans back in Spain faced an all-too-familiar Monday morning nightmare: waking up exhausted, hungover, and forced to drag themselves into the office. But if you happen to be a developer working at Larian's Barcelona branch, you received the corporate blessing instead!

Taking a Real-Life Long Rest

Larian Studios Proves Again They Are the Coolest Studio as Part of World Cup Celebrations 2

Understanding the magnitude of the moment, Larian Studios boss and industry legend Swen Vincke took to X (formerly Twitter) right after the final whistle to deliver some incredible news for his team.

Celebrating the outcome, Vincke wrote: “The best team in the World Cup won the World Cup. Not expecting anyone in the Barcelona studio to show up for work tomorrow. Congratulations!!!”

Instead of enforcing office hours or worrying about lost productivity, Vincke granted the entire Barcelona dev team a real-life “Long Rest” button. It is a wonderfully human gesture that perfectly encapsulates why Larian continues to hold a very special place in the hearts of gamers worldwide.

Interestingly enough, this wasn't even the first time Vincke publicly rooted for the Spanish squad during this tournament. Back on July 11, when his own home country was eliminated by Spain in a tense knockout match, the Belgian dev gracefully took to social media to celebrate the sport, posting: “Thank you for all the good emotions you gave us Red Devils! And congrats to the Spanish team. Larian Barcelona studio going to be partying.”

Instead of enforcing office hours or worrying about lost productivity, Vincke granted the entire Barcelona dev team a real-life “Long Rest” button.

In an era where the gaming industry is far too often dominated by corporate mandates and high-pressure release windows, seeing a major studio chief openly encourage his staff to sleep in and celebrate a monumental cultural victory is quite refreshing! It reminds us that behind our favorite RPGs are real human beings who live, breathe, and celebrate passion just as fiercely as the rest of us.

So, when a studio treats its workforce with genuine empathy and respect, that positive energy naturally bleeds into the creative process – and it is probably why titles like Baldur's Gate 3 and the Divinity series feel so special and packed with heart. And seeing Swen Vincke routinely prove that he is comfortably the coolest studio head in the entire industry never gets old. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I might just have to send my resume over to their Barcelona office – because working for a developer that grants mandatory hangover days after a World Cup win sounds like a dream scenario!