During a two-week span, a puzzling sinister monolith sitting within the Mojave Desert became the gaming world's primary puzzle. Theories kicked into high gear when an industry producer shared a picture of the peculiar statue, hinting it was a teaser for a significant game announcement. Online communities went into overdrive to solve the mystery. Could it be new content for a major series? The next chapter in an iconic saga?
At the same time, the creative minds at Larian Studios found themselves gleefully sharing every wild theory internally. They alone knew the answer: it was a teaser for the new *Divinity* title. That forum served as the only place they could talk about it, bound by an unbreakable oath of secrecy. Their commitment to silence was so total that they even got caught up in the growing hype.
"I had a moment where I saw people speculate that it was *Bloodborne 2*," explained the game's lead writer, "And I was like ‘Oh, I wish it is!’ Then it hit me: ‘No, it definitely is not!’"
This marketing stunt made for a great topic of conversation, but it simultaneously raised a pressing question: "Is it possible to ultimately let down people if you create anticipation?" This concern is one Larian Studios will grapple with as their next RPG continues development. Touted as the studio's "largest-scale" game yet, the RPG can expect significantly increased scrutiny following the award-winning success of their previous project, the Game of the Year-winning *Baldur's Gate 3*.
Going Back to the Source
"I think the most important factor is that we don't want to disappoint fans," said Larian founder Swen Vincke, when asked about concerns over losing new fans hoping for a direct sequel. "We are confident that the main draw they played *Baldur's Gate 3* was the interactive experience. That's our formula, and it has its origins in the *Divinity* series. This project is essentially a return to the origins of it."
Larian unveiled a cinematic spectacle to excite *Baldur's Gate 3* fans excited for *Divinity*. Its cinematic trailer demonstrated stunning animation, featuring a disturbing scene reminiscent of folk horror. The teaser featured intense imagery, designed in part on a writer. It was a assured reveal, showing the studio's confidence in its next project.
However, a new *Divinity* wasn't always the plan. While the studio aimed to revisit its flagship CRPG series eventually, they originally wanted to creating a successor to *Baldur's Gate 3* with a project closer in spirit to that setting. *Divinity* has only been production for about a couple of years following a major change in direction.
"Initially, we were working on a new game based in the world of D&D, using the *Baldur's Gate 3* engine," noted Vincke. "Our intention was to take our time on *Divinity* subsequently. But we saw that our enthusiasm weren't fully committed. We wrapped up our work with *Baldur's Gate 3*, so doing another wasn't what we wanted. So we stopped that project. Pivoting early fast-tracked everything for *Divinity*, which meant we had to begin anew."
Solidifying the Universe
Revisiting *Divinity* after nearly a decade posed a daunting challenge. The team acquired tremendous experience crafting *Baldur's Gate 3*, which Vincke calls the *Divinity* series at a more "refined level." Now, he claims that the new *Divinity* will be an further evolved version of that game. To accomplish that, Larian had to begin by re-solidifying the game's universe.
"One of the first things we did was start to build a consistent universe, because the *Divinity* lore was previously not fully unified," Vincke elaborated. "It was necessary to resolidify it, a process we learned from our work with D&D. At the same time, we were creating a new engine, so we adjusted our plans to implement it sooner. That process naturally did not go as seamlessly as hoped, so we're now wrapping up a complicated technical overhaul."
Vincke confirmed that *Divinity* will be a turn-based RPG that can be played alone or in co-op multiplayer. It is also a standalone title, despite being set after the events of previous games. Veteran fans will recognize some familiar characters, but experience with the older games is not required. The stated goal is to create a "consistent world where extraordinary things unfold because of player agency."
The Core Pillar: Player Agency
That final concept is paramount. When asked what Larian views as the most important thing to get right in *Divinity*, Vincke gave a single-word answer: agency. Larian's vision is to craft a deeper RPG packed with engaging "interactive systems." This focus on meaningful choice was a key ingredient of *Baldur's Gate 3*'s success, and the studio states it is pushing that design principle to new heights here.
"A central part of our mantra is 'forge your own path.' So the control we want to give you is the boldest part," Vincke said. "There will be reactions in there that will make you say, 'Really? It continues? But all I did was one small action!' We want players to discover these possibilities themselves. When we, during testing realized we could make these choices, it brought me immense satisfaction. It thrilled my inner player, and that's the sensation I want players to have when the game comes out."
Beyond the expanded focus on player agency, the development of *Baldur's Gate 3* has been invaluable to *Divinity*'s design. The studio explicitly notes that it learned valuable experience in narrative design and crafting in-game story moments from that project, which will be a key focus 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 tricky in that game due to varied class rules. To make *Divinity* more approachable from the outset, Larian set out to "create our own mechanics so we could make it more video game friendly."
"A prime example was reactive mechanics in *Baldur's Gate 3*," Vincke recalled. "Initially, we were resistant to include them. During early access, the community insisted on them. We feared it would slow down the gameplay. So we put them in and realized, well, it's actually better. They had a point! It was a great moment because it clearly made the game better."
Given this, Larian's player base will be crucial to *Divinity*'s success. Vincke said that the studio will continue using fan feedback
