Larian Studios Is Well Aware That Divinity Trailer Was Edgy — And That's Precisely the Goal.

During a two-week span, an enigmatic sinister monolith sitting within the Mojave Desert stood as the gaming world's biggest mystery. Conjecture reached a fever pitch when an industry producer shared an image of the strange statue, making it clear it was a teaser for a significant game announcement. Online communities sprang into action to solve the puzzle. Was it new content for a popular franchise? The next chapter in an iconic saga?

Simultaneously, the developers at Larian Studios found themselves gleefully sharing every far-fetched theory among themselves. They possessed the answer: it was a teaser for their next project. This space became the only place they could mention it, committed by an unbreakable oath of secrecy. Their commitment to silence was so total that they themselves were captivated in the speculative frenzy.

"I had a moment where I saw people speculate that it was a sequel to *Bloodborne*," recalled *Divinity's* writing director, "And I thought ‘Oh, I hope it is!’ And then I realized: ‘No, it definitely is not!’"

The statue made for a great shared mystery, but it simultaneously sparked a critical question: "Can you ultimately let down people if you create anticipation?" This query is one Larian Studios is about to confront as their next RPG draws nearer. Described as the studio's "largest-scale" title so far, the RPG can expect significantly increased scrutiny in the wake of the phenomenal success of their prior project, the critically adored *Baldur's Gate 3*.

Returning to Roots

"I think the biggest thing is that we aim not to disappoint fans," said Larian founder Swen Vincke, when asked about concerns over alienating new fans hoping for a direct sequel. "We are confident that the core appeal they played *Baldur's Gate 3* was the gameplay. That is our formula, and it has its origins in our original IP. *Divinity* is essentially a return to the foundation of it."

Larian unveiled a cinematic spectacle to enthuse *Baldur's Gate 3* fans curious about *Divinity*. Its announcement trailer flaunted blockbuster polish, depicting a nightmarish scene reminiscent of certain cult films. The teaser included graphic imagery, modeled in part on a writer. It was a bold reveal, signaling the studio's belief in its next venture.

However, this return to their own series was not originally the plan. While the studio aimed to return to its original CRPG series sooner or later, they originally envisioned creating a successor to *Baldur's Gate 3* with a project more directly related to that universe. *Divinity* has only been active development for about a couple of years following a significant pivot.

"We were working on a new game based in the world of D&D, built on the *Baldur's Gate 3* engine," said Vincke. "We planned to work gradually on *Divinity* subsequently. But we saw that our enthusiasm weren't fully committed. We wrapped up our work with *Baldur's Gate 3*, so jumping into a sequel didn't appeal. So we halted that project. Pivoting early accelerated everything for *Divinity*, which left us in a position where we had to begin anew."

Solidifying the Universe

Revisiting *Divinity* after nearly a decade was a daunting challenge. The team gained immense experience making *Baldur's Gate 3*, which Vincke describes as the *Divinity* series at a more "refined level." Now, he claims that the new *Divinity* will be an further evolved version of *Baldur's Gate 3* itself. To pull that off, Larian had to begin by overhauling the game's universe.

"Among the first things we did was start to build a coherent universe, because the *Divinity* lore was in the past somewhat scattered," Vincke explained. "We had to resolidify it, a process we learned from our work with D&D. Concurrently, we were building a new engine, so we adapted our plans to leverage it earlier. This transition naturally 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 alone or in cooperative multiplayer. It is also a standalone title, even though after the events of the last major entry. Veteran fans will recognize some familiar characters, but prior knowledge will not be essential. The aim is to create a "believable world where magical things occur because of the choices you make."

Ambition Rooted in Choice

The idea of player impact is key. When questioned what Larian considers the most important thing to get right in *Divinity*, Vincke gave a succinct answer: agency. Larian's mission is to craft a deeper RPG featuring intricate "gameplay mechanics." This focus on deep simulation was a key ingredient of *Baldur's Gate 3*'s success, and the studio says it is expanding that philosophy to new heights here.

"A central part of our design pillar is 'write your own legend.' So the agency we want to provide you is the riskiest part," Vincke explained. "We are implementing systems in there that will have you wondering, 'Really? It keeps going? But all I did was a minor choice!' We won't spoil these connections themselves. When we, during testing discovered we could make these elements, it gave me pure delight. It thrilled my inner player, and that is the sensation I want players to feel when the game launches."

Beyond the deepened focus on player agency, the production of *Baldur's Gate 3* has been crucial to *Divinity*'s design. The studio specifically notes that it gained significant experience in narrative design and crafting cinematics from that project, which will be a central element of the new game.

Building with Player Feedback

The team also reflected on the difficulties they encountered during the making of *Baldur's Gate 3*. Vincke points out that onboarding could be tricky in that game due to varied class rules. To make *Divinity* more approachable from the start, Larian decided to "create our own mechanics so we could make it more video game friendly."

"A prime example was opportunity attacks in *Baldur's Gate 3*," Vincke recalled. "At first, we were resistant to include them. Midway through early access, the community really, really wanted them. We feared it would interrupt the gameplay. So we put them in and saw, well, it's truly better. They had a point! It was a good moment because it significantly made the game better."

Based on this experience, Larian's community will be pivotal to *Divinity*'s final form. Vincke confirmed that the studio will keep incorporating fan feedback