The Developers at Larian Knows That Their New Game Trailer Was Provocative — That's Exactly the Intent.

For a fortnight, a puzzling otherworldly monolith sitting within the Mojave Desert became the gaming world's primary puzzle. Theories reached a fever pitch when an industry producer posted an image of the curious statue, making it clear it was a teaser for a significant game announcement. Gamers everywhere raced to decipher the riddle. Might it signal new content for a popular franchise? The next chapter in an iconic saga?

Meanwhile, the team at Larian Studios were gleefully discussing every wild theory in a private channel. They possessed the answer: it was a teaser for their upcoming game. Their private discussions served as the sole place they could mention it, sworn by an unbreakable oath of secrecy. Their resolve to silence was so complete that they themselves were captivated in the growing hype.

"I had a moment where seeing people theorize that it was *Bloodborne 2*," said *Divinity's* writing director, "And I thought ‘Oh, I hope it is!’ And then I realized: ‘No, it certainly is not!’"

This marketing stunt created a great shared mystery, but it also sparked a important question: "Is it possible to ultimately let down people if you build excitement?" This query is one Larian Studios will confront as *Divinity* approaches. Billed as the studio's "largest-scale" game yet, the RPG is going to attract far more attention following the award-winning success of their prior project, the critically adored *Baldur's Gate 3*.

Going Back to the Source

"I think the key point is that we aim not to disappoint fans," stated Larian founder Swen Vincke, when asked about concerns over losing new fans hoping for a direct sequel. "We think that the primary reason 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 going back to the origins of it."

Larian pulled out a cinematic spectacle to excite *Baldur's Gate 3* fans interested in *Divinity*. Its cinematic trailer showcased blockbuster polish, featuring a disturbing scene reminiscent of certain cult films. The teaser was packed with visceral imagery, designed in part on a writer. It was a bold reveal, showing the studio's belief in its next game.

However, a new *Divinity* wasn't always the plan. While the studio aimed to revisit its original CRPG series eventually, they originally envisioned following up to *Baldur's Gate 3* with a project more familiar to that setting. The current project has been in active development for about a couple of years following a major change in direction.

"We were working on a new game set in the world of D&D, built on the *Baldur's Gate 3* engine," said Vincke. "We planned to work gradually on *Divinity* later. But we saw that our passion weren't really in it. We were essentially done with *Baldur's Gate 3*, so jumping into a sequel wasn't what we wanted. So we stopped that project. Pivoting early fast-tracked everything for *Divinity*, which meant we had to begin anew."

Forging a Coherent World

Revisiting *Divinity* since the last main entry presented a considerable challenge. The team acquired immense experience developing *Baldur's Gate 3*, which Vincke refers to as the *Divinity* series at a more "advanced level." Now, he states that the new *Divinity* will be an still more evolved version of its predecessor. To achieve this, Larian had to begin by overhauling the game's universe.

"Among the first things we did was begin constructing a unified universe, because the *Divinity* lore was historically all over the place," Vincke explained. "We had to re-establish it, a process we mastered during our work with D&D. Concurrently, we were developing a new engine, so we adapted our plans to use it earlier. This transition predictably was not as seamlessly as anticipated, so we're now nearing the end of a challenging development phase."

Vincke confirmed that *Divinity* will be a tactical RPG playable solo or in co-op multiplayer. It is also a standalone title, despite being set after the events of the last major entry. Longtime fans will spot some returning characters, but prior knowledge will not be essential. The objective is to create a "consistent world where magical things occur because of your actions."

Ambition Rooted in Choice

The idea of player impact is key. When questioned what Larian views as the most important element to nail in *Divinity*, Vincke offered a succinct answer: agency. Larian's goal is to craft a more complex RPG featuring intricate "interactive systems." This commitment to meaningful choice was a cornerstone of *Baldur's Gate 3*'s success, and the studio states it is expanding that design principle more aggressively here.

"A central part of our mantra is 'create your own story.' So the freedom we want to give you is the riskiest part," Vincke said. "There will be systems in there that will lead you to exclaim, 'Really? It keeps going? But all I did was this simple thing!' We want players to discover these connections themselves. When I, as a developer saw we could connect these choices, it gave me great joy. It thrilled my gamer heart, and that's the emotion I want players to experience when the game launches."

In addition to the enhanced focus on player agency, the production of *Baldur's Gate 3* has been instrumental to *Divinity*'s design. The studio specifically notes that it learned significant experience in narrative design and crafting in-game story moments from that project, which will be a key component of the new game.

Learning from the Community

The team also examined the challenges they faced during the development of *Baldur's Gate 3*. Vincke points out that introducing new players could be daunting in that game due to complex class rules. To make *Divinity* more accessible from the beginning, Larian set out to "create our own game systems so we could make it more video game friendly."

"One clear instance was reactive mechanics in *Baldur's Gate 3*," Vincke said. "Initially, we were resistant to include them. Midway through early access, the community really, really wanted them. We worried it would hinder the gameplay. So we implemented them in and saw, well, it's truly better. They had a point! It was a great moment because it clearly made the game better."

Given this, Larian's community will be instrumental to *Divinity*'s development. Vincke confirmed that the studio will keep taking into account fan feedback