Larian Studios Knows That Their New Game Trailer Was Pushing It — That's Exactly the Intent.

For a fortnight, an enigmatic demonic monolith in the Mojave Desert became the gaming world's greatest enigma. Theories reached a fever pitch when a prominent figure shared a picture of the curious statue, making it clear it was a teaser for an upcoming game reveal. The internet raced to decipher the riddle. Was it new content for a major series? The next chapter in a beloved series?

Meanwhile, the creative minds at Larian Studios found themselves gleefully tracking every outlandish theory in a private channel. They alone knew the answer: it was a teaser for the new *Divinity* title. That forum was the exclusive place they could mention it, bound by an unbreakable oath of secrecy. Their commitment to silence was so complete that they even were captivated in the growing hype.

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

This marketing stunt provided a great shared mystery, but it simultaneously sparked a critical question: "Can you end up disappointing people if you generate excitement?" This query is one Larian Studios must now address as *Divinity* draws nearer. Billed as the studio's "largest-scale" title so far, the RPG will have far more attention following the award-winning success of their previous project, the celebrated *Baldur's Gate 3*.

Going Back to the Source

"I believe the most important factor is that we aim not to disappoint fans," commented Larian founder Swen Vincke, addressing concerns over alienating new fans expecting a direct sequel. "Our belief is that the core appeal they played *Baldur's Gate 3* was the gameplay. That is our formula, and it was originated in the *Divinity* games. *Divinity* is essentially heading back to the roots of it."

Larian pulled out the red carpet to excite *Baldur's Gate 3* fans excited for *Divinity*. The game's cinematic trailer demonstrated blockbuster polish, centering around a disturbing scene reminiscent of certain cult films. The teaser included visceral imagery, designed in part on a team member. It was a bold reveal, demonstrating the studio's confidence in its next project.

However, this return to their own series was not originally the plan. Although the studio intended to revisit its flagship CRPG series in time, they first wanted to following up to *Baldur's Gate 3* with a project more familiar to that setting. *Divinity* has been in active development for about two years following a major change in direction.

"We were working on a new game set in the world of D&D, using the *Baldur's Gate 3* engine," noted Vincke. "Our intention was to work gradually on *Divinity* later. But we realized that our passion lay elsewhere. We had finished our journey with *Baldur's Gate 3*, so jumping into a sequel wasn't what we wanted. So we halted that project. This move accelerated everything for *Divinity*, which left us in a position where we had to start from scratch."

Solidifying the Universe

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

"One of the first things we did was start to build a consistent universe, because the *Divinity* lore was previously all over the place," Vincke said. "We had to re-establish it, a process we mastered during our work with D&D. At the same time, we were creating a new engine, so we adjusted our plans to use it earlier. That process predictably was not as smoothly as hoped, so we're now nearing the end of a challenging development phase."

Vincke clarified that *Divinity* will be a turn-based RPG playable solo or in cooperative multiplayer. It is also a standalone title, even though after the events of previous games. Veteran fans will spot some returning characters, but experience with the older games will not be required. The objective is to create a "believable world where fantastic things unfold because of player agency."

The Core Pillar: Player Agency

This last point is paramount. When asked what Larian believes is the most important element to nail in *Divinity*, Vincke offered a one-word answer: agency. Larian's mission is to craft a deeper RPG filled with intricate "gameplay mechanics." This emphasis on meaningful choice was a key ingredient of *Baldur's Gate 3*'s success, and the studio says it is expanding that design principle even further here.

"One of our philosophy is 'create your own story.' So the freedom we want to provide you is the most ambitious part," Vincke explained. "There will be sequences in there that will make you say, 'Really? It reacts? But all I did was this simple thing!' We want players to discover these moments themselves. When we, during testing saw we could link these systems, it brought me immense satisfaction. It thrilled my gamer heart, and that's the sensation I want players to experience when the game comes out."

Beyond the expanded focus on player agency, the production of *Baldur's Gate 3* has been instrumental to *Divinity*'s design. The studio specifically points out that it gained extensive knowledge in narrative design and creating in-game story moments from that project, which will be a central focus of the new game.

A Collaborative Development Philosophy

The team also analyzed the difficulties 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 user-friendly from the outset, Larian set out to "define our own game systems so we could make it more intuitively designed."

"A prime example was reactions in *Baldur's Gate 3*," Vincke recalled. "Initially, we were resistant to include them. Midway through early access, the community strongly requested 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 positive moment because it clearly made the game better."

Based on this experience, Larian's player base will be instrumental to *Divinity*'s development. Vincke stated that the studio will keep using fan feedback