Larian Studios Knows That Divinity Trailer Was Edgy — That's the Point.

For a fortnight, a mysterious otherworldly monolith sitting within the Mojave Desert was the gaming world's biggest mystery. Speculation reached a fever pitch when a prominent figure posted an image of the peculiar statue, hinting it was a teaser for a major game unveiling. Gamers everywhere raced to decipher the riddle. Was it new content for a popular franchise? The next chapter in a beloved series?

Simultaneously, the team at Larian Studios were amusedly discussing every wild theory internally. They held the answer: it was a teaser for their next project. That forum was the sole place they could mention it, committed by a strict oath of secrecy. Their commitment to silence was so complete that they even were captivated in the growing hype.

"I remember I saw people theorize that it was *Bloodborne 2*," recalled the game's lead writer, "And I was like ‘Oh, I hope it is!’ Then I remembered: ‘No, it definitely is not!’"

The statue made for a classic water cooler moment, but it simultaneously raised a important question: "Can you end up disappointing people if you build excitement?" This concern is one Larian Studios will address as *Divinity* continues development. Touted as the studio's "biggest and boldest" game yet, the RPG can expect far more attention in the wake of the phenomenal success of their prior project, the Game of the Year-winning *Baldur's Gate 3*.

Returning to Roots

"I think the most important factor is that we have no desire to disappoint fans," said Larian founder Swen Vincke, when asked about concerns over losing new fans expecting a direct sequel. "Our belief is that the primary reason they played *Baldur's Gate 3* was the gameplay. That's our special sauce, and it has its origins in our original IP. This project is essentially going back to the roots of it."

Larian pulled out all the stops to excite *Baldur's Gate 3* fans interested in *Divinity*. The game's reveal trailer flaunted blockbuster polish, depicting a nightmarish scene reminiscent of folk horror. The teaser was packed with graphic imagery, designed in part on a writer. It was a assured reveal, signaling the studio's belief in its next project.

However, a new *Divinity* wasn't always the plan. While the studio aimed to revisit its flagship CRPG series in time, they first wanted to creating a successor to *Baldur's Gate 3* with a project more directly related to that setting. *Divinity* has been in production for about a couple of years following a dramatic pivot.

"We were developing a new game based in the world of D&D, built on the *Baldur's Gate 3* engine," noted Vincke. "We planned to work gradually on *Divinity* afterward. But we felt that our enthusiasm weren't really in it. We had finished our journey with *Baldur's Gate 3*, so jumping into a sequel wasn't what we wanted. So we pivoted away from that project. Pivoting early accelerated everything for *Divinity*, which meant we had to begin anew."

Forging a Coherent World

Revisiting *Divinity* since the last main entry was a significant challenge. The team gained immense experience making *Baldur's Gate 3*, which Vincke describes as the *Divinity* series at a more "advanced level." Now, he states that the new *Divinity* will be an even more evolved version of that game. To accomplish that, Larian needed to begin by overhauling the setting's lore.

"Among the first things we did was begin constructing a unified universe, because the *Divinity* lore was historically not fully unified," Vincke elaborated. "It was necessary to give it a firm base, a process we mastered during our work with D&D. At the same time, we were building a new engine, so we adjusted our plans to implement it earlier. The engine shift predictably was not as smoothly as expected, so we're now nearing the end of a challenging development phase."

Vincke clarified that *Divinity* will be a turn-based RPG playable solo or in co-op multiplayer. It is also a self-contained title, even though after the events of previous games. Veteran fans will spot some familiar characters, but experience with the older games is not required. The stated goal is to create a "believable world where extraordinary things happen because of your actions."

The Core Pillar: Player Agency

The idea of player impact is key. When questioned what Larian views as the most important element to get right in *Divinity*, Vincke gave a one-word answer: agency. Larian's vision is to craft a richer RPG packed with engaging "video game systems." This commitment to player-driven narrative was a defining feature of *Baldur's Gate 3*'s success, and the studio says it is enhancing that design principle even further here.

"A central part of our design pillar is 'create your own story.' So the freedom we want to grant you is the most ambitious part," Vincke explained. "We are implementing reactions in there that will make you say, 'Really? It reacts? But all I did was this simple thing!' We aren't going to tell these moments themselves. When I, as a developer saw we could link these systems, it gave me great joy. It thrilled my inner player, and that is the sensation I want players to experience when the game comes out."

Beyond the deepened focus on player agency, the creation of *Baldur's Gate 3* has been instrumental to *Divinity*'s progress. The studio explicitly highlights that it gained extensive experience in narrative design and creating in-game story moments from that project, which will be a central element of the new game.

Learning from the Community

The team also reflected on the difficulties they encountered during the development of *Baldur's Gate 3*. Vincke points out that onboarding could be challenging in that game due to complex class rules. To make *Divinity* more user-friendly from the beginning, Larian decided to "create our own game systems so we could make it more intuitively designed."

"A prime example was reactive mechanics in *Baldur's Gate 3*," Vincke recalled. "Initially, we were resistant to include them. During early access, the community really, really wanted them. We feared it would slow down the gameplay. So we implemented them in and realized, well, it's actually better. They had a point! It was a great moment because it significantly made the game better."

With this in mind, Larian's player base will be instrumental to *Divinity*'s final form. Vincke said that the studio will keep taking into account fan feedback