Spain is the World Champion, and Larian CEO Swen Vincke has drawn a clear conclusion for his Barcelona team: Don’t come into the office under any circumstances.
Sunday night, the final, extra time:Spain beats defending champion Argentina 1–0 and becomes World Champion for the second time, the first time since 2010. “The Shark” Ferran Torres scores in the 106th minute; Lionel Messi is likely playing in his final World Cup tournament.
For most Spaniards, this means heading to the office on Monday morning with a hangover.Apparently not for one team of developers.
The Larian Boss Celebrates with the Spaniards
Shortly after the final whistle, Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke took to X to speak his mind and left no doubt about where he stands on the matter. Translated into German, he wrote something to the effect of:
“The best team in the tournament won the World Cup. I’m not expecting anyone to show up at the Barcelona studio tomorrow. Congratulations!!!”
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!!!
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) July 19, 2026
In addition to its headquarters in Ghent, Larian operates several studios worldwide, including in Dublin, Guildford, Kuala Lumpur, Québec, Warsaw—and Barcelona. That’s exactly where part of the team currently working onDivinityis based, right in the midst of the Spanish celebrations. Vincke’s message likely led to a sangria or two being poured there.
Not the first time Vincke has been rooting for Spain
The gesture isn’t entirely surprising.Even when Vincke’s home country, Belgium, was eliminated from the tournament on July 11 by that very same Spanish team, the Larian bosspublicly congratulatedthem and announced that there would be a big celebration at the Barcelona studio. So, in a way, the outcome of the final was doubly fitting for him.
In terms of development, the day off doesn’t change anything for now—after all, *Divinity* and the rest of Larian’s projects aren’t suddenly finished. But as a gesture to its own staff, the move is pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a studio that likes to portray itself as down-to-earth and employee-friendly.
Would you also like your boss to give you a spontaneous soccer holiday if Germany wins the World Cup in four years with Kloppo as coach, or is sick leave for the following Monday already firmly planned anyway? Feel free to let us know in the comments.
