The Developers at Larian Is Well Aware That Their New Game Trailer Was Provocative — That's the Point.

Over two weeks, a puzzling sinister monolith in the Mojave Desert stood as the gaming world's greatest enigma. Speculation kicked into high gear when a prominent figure shared a picture of the strange statue, hinting it was a teaser for an upcoming game reveal. Gamers everywhere raced to crack the puzzle. Was it new content for a major series? A long-awaited sequel in an iconic saga?

Meanwhile, the team at Larian Studios found themselves amusedly discussing every wild theory internally. They possessed the answer: it was a teaser for the new *Divinity* title. That forum served as the exclusive place they could mention it, committed by an unbreakable oath of secrecy. Their commitment to silence was so complete that they themselves got caught up in the speculative frenzy.

"I remember I saw people speculate that it was a sequel to *Bloodborne*," recalled *Divinity's* writing director, "And I was like ‘Oh, I wish it is!’ And then I realized: ‘No, it certainly is not!’"

The statue created a classic water cooler moment, but it simultaneously sparked a critical question: "Do you end up disappointing people if you generate anticipation?" This concern is one Larian Studios is about to address as *Divinity* continues development. Touted as the studio's "biggest and boldest" project to date, the RPG can expect a lot more scrutiny after the phenomenal success of their last project, the celebrated *Baldur's Gate 3*.

A Homecoming

"I believe the biggest thing is that we don't want to disappoint fans," commented Larian founder Swen Vincke, addressing concerns over losing new fans expecting a direct sequel. "We are confident that the main draw they played *Baldur's Gate 3* was the interactive experience. That's our proven method, and it first took shape in our original IP. This project is essentially heading back to the foundation of it."

Larian pulled out all the stops to excite *Baldur's Gate 3* fans excited for *Divinity*. The game's announcement trailer demonstrated stunning animation, centering around a disturbing scene reminiscent of certain cult films. The teaser featured intense imagery, created in part on a writer. It was a confident reveal, signaling the studio's confidence in its next project.

However, this return to their own series was not initially the plan. Although the studio aimed to revisit its flagship CRPG series sooner or later, they originally envisioned following up to *Baldur's Gate 3* with a project more familiar to that world. The current project has only been active development for about a couple of years following a major change in direction.

"We were developing a new game set in the world of D&D, built on the *Baldur's Gate 3* engine," noted Vincke. "We planned to take our time on *Divinity* afterward. But we realized that our enthusiasm lay elsewhere. We were essentially done with *Baldur's Gate 3*, so jumping into a sequel wasn't what we wanted. So we halted that project. Pivoting early fast-tracked everything for *Divinity*, which left us in a position where we had to build from the ground up."

Building a New Foundation

Revisiting *Divinity* since the last main entry was a significant challenge. The team gained tremendous experience making *Baldur's Gate 3*, which Vincke refers to as the *Divinity* series at a more "refined level." Now, he says that the new *Divinity* will be an still more evolved version of its predecessor. To pull that off, Larian had to begin by reworking the setting's lore.

"Among the first things we did was begin constructing a coherent universe, because the *Divinity* lore was previously somewhat scattered," Vincke elaborated. "We had to give it a firm base, a process we learned from our work with D&D. Simultaneously, we were creating a new engine, so we modified our plans to leverage it sooner. That process obviously was not as smoothly as hoped, so we're now nearing the end of a complex transition period."

Vincke stated that *Divinity* will be a turn-based RPG playable solo or in cooperative multiplayer. It is also a self-contained title, despite being set after the events of previous games. Longtime fans will spot some returning characters, but experience with the older games will not be required. The stated goal is to create a "believable world where fantastic things occur because of player agency."

Ambition Rooted in Choice

This last point is key. When asked what Larian views as the most important element to nail in *Divinity*, Vincke offered a one-word answer: agency. Larian's vision is to craft a richer RPG filled with compelling "video game systems." This focus on meaningful choice was a defining feature of *Baldur's Gate 3*'s success, and the studio says it is enhancing that design principle to new heights here.

"A central part of our mantra is 'forge your own path.' So the freedom we want to give you is the most ambitious part," Vincke detailed. "There will be sequences in there that will lead you to exclaim, 'Really? It continues? But all I did was this simple thing!' We want players to discover these connections themselves. When I, as a developer realized we could link these elements, it brought me pure delight. It thrilled my gamer heart, and that's the emotion I want players to feel when the game releases."

In addition to the expanded focus on player agency, the creation of *Baldur's Gate 3* has been crucial to *Divinity*'s evolution. The studio explicitly highlights that it learned extensive expertise in writing and crafting cutscenes from that project, which will be a major component of the new game.

Learning from the Community

The team also reflected on the struggles they faced during the making of *Baldur's Gate 3*. Vincke observes that onboarding could be daunting in that game due to diverse class rules. To make *Divinity* more user-friendly from the beginning, Larian decided to "establish our own mechanics so we could make it more video game friendly."

"A prime example was reactions in *Baldur's Gate 3*," Vincke recalled. "Initially, we were resistant to include them. During early access, the community insisted on them. We worried it would hinder the gameplay. So we implemented them in and realized, well, it's truly better. They had a point! It was a great moment because it clearly made the game better."

With this in mind, Larian's player base will be instrumental to *Divinity*'s development. Vincke confirmed that the studio will keep incorporating fan feedback