Larian Studios Is Well Aware That Their New Game Trailer Was Pushing It — That's the Point.

Over two weeks, a mysterious demonic monolith sitting within the Mojave Desert stood as the video game community's primary puzzle. Speculation reached a fever pitch when an industry producer shared a picture of the curious statue, hinting it was a teaser for a major game unveiling. Online communities sprang into action to crack the puzzle. Might it signal new content for a popular franchise? A long-awaited sequel in an iconic saga?

Meanwhile, the team at Larian Studios found themselves happily tracking every far-fetched theory in a private channel. They alone knew the answer: it was a teaser for their upcoming game. Their private discussions became the exclusive place they could discuss it, sworn by an unbreakable oath of secrecy. Their dedication to silence was so absolute that they themselves were captivated in the growing hype.

"I remember I saw people guess that it was *Bloodborne 2*," said the game's lead writer, "And I thought ‘Oh, I wish it is!’ And then I realized: ‘No, it certainly is not!’"

The statue provided a great shared mystery, but it simultaneously raised a pressing question: "Can you ultimately let down people if you build excitement?" This concern is one Larian Studios is about to grapple with as their next RPG continues development. Billed as the studio's "biggest and boldest" project to date, the RPG is going to attract a lot more scrutiny following the phenomenal success of their last project, the celebrated *Baldur's Gate 3*.

A Homecoming

"I think the most important factor is that we don't want to disappoint fans," stated Larian founder Swen Vincke, addressing concerns over losing new fans hoping for a direct sequel. "We are confident that the primary reason they played *Baldur's Gate 3* was the interactive experience. That's our special sauce, and it has its origins in the *Divinity* games. This project is essentially heading back to the foundation of it."

Larian unveiled the red carpet to get *Baldur's Gate 3* fans curious about *Divinity*. Its announcement trailer demonstrated stunning animation, centering around a disturbing scene reminiscent of folk horror. The teaser featured visceral imagery, modeled in part on a team member. It was a confident reveal, demonstrating the studio's faith in its next game.

However, a new *Divinity* was not initially the plan. While the studio intended to revisit its original CRPG series eventually, they originally considered 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 major pivot.

"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 work gradually on *Divinity* afterward. But we saw that our hearts weren't fully committed. We wrapped up our work with *Baldur's Gate 3*, so doing another didn't appeal. So we pivoted away from that project. This move accelerated everything for *Divinity*, which meant we had to build from the ground up."

Building a New Foundation

Revisiting *Divinity* after nearly a decade presented a significant challenge. The team learned immense experience crafting *Baldur's Gate 3*, which Vincke describes as the *Divinity* series at a more "evolved level." Now, he says that the new *Divinity* will be an still more evolved version of that game. To pull that off, Larian needed to begin by overhauling the game's universe.

"Among the first things we did was lay the groundwork for a unified universe, because the *Divinity* lore was historically somewhat scattered," Vincke said. "It was necessary to resolidify it, a process we mastered during our work with D&D. Concurrently, we were building a new engine, so we adapted our plans to implement it sooner. This transition obviously did not go as seamlessly as expected, so we're now wrapping up a complex technical overhaul."

Vincke clarified that *Divinity* will be a turn-based RPG that can be played solo or in co-op multiplayer. It is also a standalone title, despite being set after the events of the last major entry. Veteran fans will recognize some familiar characters, but experience with the older games will not be necessary. The aim is to create a "grounded world where fantastic things unfold because of player agency."

The Core Pillar: Player Agency

The idea of player impact is key. When asked what Larian believes is the most important thing to nail in *Divinity*, Vincke offered a one-word answer: agency. Larian's vision is to craft a richer RPG filled with intricate "video game systems." This commitment to deep simulation was a key ingredient of *Baldur's Gate 3*'s success, and the studio says it is expanding that design principle more aggressively here.

"One of our philosophy is 'create your own story.' So the control we want to give you is the boldest part," Vincke said. "We are implementing systems in there that will make you say, 'Really? It reacts? But all I did was one small action!' We won't spoil these moments themselves. When we, during testing realized we could make these elements, it gave me immense satisfaction. It thrilled my inner player, and that's the feeling I want players to have when the game comes out."

In addition to the deepened focus on player agency, the development of *Baldur's Gate 3* has been crucial to *Divinity*'s design. The studio explicitly highlights that it learned extensive experience in writing and producing cutscenes from that project, which will be a key component of the new game.

Learning from the Community

The team also analyzed the challenges they encountered during the creation of *Baldur's Gate 3*. Vincke observes that onboarding could be challenging in that game due to complex class rules. To make *Divinity* more accessible from the start, Larian aimed to "define 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. "At first, we were resistant to include them. Midway through early access, the community insisted on them. We feared it would interrupt the gameplay. Eventually, we put them in and discovered, well, it's actually better. They had a point! It was a positive moment because it undeniably made the game better."

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