During a two-week span, a puzzling otherworldly monolith in the Mojave Desert became the gaming world's greatest enigma. Theories intensified dramatically when an industry producer posted an image of the curious statue, hinting it was a teaser for a significant game unveiling. The internet went into overdrive to decipher the puzzle. Was it new content for a major series? A long-awaited sequel in a beloved series?
Simultaneously, the creative minds at Larian Studios were amusedly tracking every wild theory in a private channel. They possessed the answer: it was a teaser for their next project. This space became the only place they could talk about it, committed by a strict oath of secrecy. Their commitment to silence was so absolute that they themselves were captivated in the public excitement.
"I had a moment where seeing people guess that it was *Bloodborne 2*," explained the game's writing director, "And I thought ‘Oh, I wish it is!’ Then I remembered: ‘No, it definitely is not!’"
The mysterious monument provided a classic shared mystery, but it also sparked a important question: "Can you end up disappointing people if you create excitement?" This dilemma is one Larian Studios is about to confront as their next RPG continues development. Touted as the studio's "largest-scale" game yet, the RPG can expect a lot more attention after the massive success of their prior project, the Game of the Year-winning *Baldur's Gate 3*.
Returning to Roots
"I think the key point is that we aim not to disappoint fans," stated Larian founder Swen Vincke, addressing concerns over alienating new fans hoping for a direct sequel. "We think that the main draw they played *Baldur's Gate 3* was the gameplay. That is our formula, and it was originated in the *Divinity* games. The new game is essentially a return to the origins of it."
Larian rolled out the red carpet to get *Baldur's Gate 3* fans curious about *Divinity*. Its cinematic trailer demonstrated stunning animation, centering around a disturbing scene reminiscent of folk horror. The teaser included intense imagery, designed in part on a developer. It was a bold reveal, demonstrating the studio's faith in its next project.
However, this return to their own series wasn't always the plan. While the studio intended to revisit its flagship CRPG series eventually, they originally wanted to following up to *Baldur's Gate 3* with a project more familiar to that world. *Divinity* has only been active development for about two years following a major pivot.
"We were working on a new game based in the world of D&D, built on the *Baldur's Gate 3* engine," explained Vincke. "Our intention was to work gradually on *Divinity* afterward. But we realized that our passion weren't fully committed. We were essentially done with *Baldur's Gate 3*, so doing another wasn't what we wanted. So we pivoted away from that project. That decision fast-tracked everything for *Divinity*, which meant we had to build from the ground up."
Building a New Foundation
Returning to *Divinity* after nearly a decade presented a considerable challenge. The team acquired tremendous experience making *Baldur's Gate 3*, which Vincke describes as the *Divinity* series at a more "refined level." Now, he states 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 re-solidifying the world's foundation.
"Among the first things we did was begin constructing a unified universe, because the *Divinity* lore was in the past all over the place," Vincke explained. "We had to re-establish it, a process we learned from our work with D&D. At the same time, we were developing a new engine, so we adjusted our plans to use it earlier. That process naturally did not go as smoothly as expected, so we're now nearing the end of a complicated development phase."
Vincke confirmed that *Divinity* will be a tactical RPG that can be played solo or in co-op multiplayer. It is also a self-contained title, even though after the events of the last major entry. Longtime fans will spot some familiar characters, but experience with the older games is not required. The objective is to create a "consistent world where magical things occur because of the choices you make."
Ambition Rooted in Choice
That final concept is paramount. When asked what Larian considers the most important aspect to get right in *Divinity*, Vincke gave a one-word answer: agency. Larian's mission is to craft a deeper RPG featuring compelling "gameplay mechanics." This focus on meaningful choice was a defining feature of *Baldur's Gate 3*'s success, and the studio states it is enhancing that design principle even further here.
"A central part of our mantra is 'create your own story.' So the control we want to provide you is the most ambitious part," Vincke said. "There will be sequences in there that will have you wondering, 'Really? It keeps going? But all I did was this simple thing!' We won't spoil these possibilities themselves. When we, during testing discovered we could link these systems, it brought me immense satisfaction. It thrilled my gamer heart, and that's the sensation I want you to experience when the game releases."
Beyond the enhanced focus on player agency, the production of *Baldur's Gate 3* has been invaluable to *Divinity*'s design. The studio specifically notes that it learned valuable expertise in narrative design and producing cutscenes from that project, which will be a central element of the new game.
Learning from the Community
The team also examined the challenges they faced during the making of *Baldur's Gate 3*. Vincke notes that onboarding could be daunting in that game due to varied class rules. To make *Divinity* more user-friendly from the beginning, Larian decided to "establish our own game systems so we could make it more streamlined for play."
"A prime example was reactions in *Baldur's Gate 3*," Vincke recalled. "Initially, we didn't want to include them. During early access, the community really, really wanted them. We worried it would interrupt the gameplay. So we added them in and realized, well, it's truly better. They had a point! It was a good moment because it clearly made the game better."
Based on this experience, Larian's player base will be instrumental to *Divinity*'s success. Vincke confirmed that the studio will continue taking into account fan feedback
