Divinity is way better than Baldur’s Gate 3, according to Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke. Read on to learn more about the game’s development so far and what fans can expect.
Divinity Development and Expectations
Larian Studios To The Next Level
Divinity developer Larian Studios promises to include all the familiar features from their past work, but with everything brought to the next level. In an interview with Bloomberg on December 16, Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke shared his insights on the company’s return to the Divinity series.
The franchise first began in 2002 with Divine Divinity, an isometric hack-and-slash with deep RPG elements. Since then, the series has had six titles, jumping from real-time combat to classic turn-based gameplay.
For Divinity, Larian Studios opted to return to turn-based combat, but will take things up a notch. "This is going to be us unleashed, I think. It’s a turn-based RPG featuring everything you’ve seen from us in the past, but it’s brought to the next level," Vincke stated.
The studio initially planned to continue developing the Dungeons & Dragons IP after the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, but when their enthusiasm waned, they shifted their focus back to Divinity. Vincke explained, "Baldur’s Gate 3 was a good game, and I’m proud of it, but I think this one is going to be way better."
He also noted that translating the tabletop concepts and systems of Dungeons & Dragons to a digital game was challenging. For this reason, the team is creating a new system that is appropriate for a video game and will be "much easier to understand."
Using AI To Cut Down Development Time
While the topic of AI remains a contentious issue within the gaming industry, Vincke admits that Larian Studios is utilizing this technology to reduce development time. With Baldur’s Gate 3 taking six years to complete, he said that they wish to finish Divinity in the span of three to four years.
Another concept they explored to hasten development is writing quests and storylines in parallel rather than linearly, which now requires the studio to expand further. Vincke emphasized that they cannot rush this creative process, and ultimately wants to give writers as much time as needed to explore ideas.
Despite utilizing AI, the company has yet to achieve significant gains in efficiency. However, Vincke said that their creators often use these tools to explore new ideas, refine presentations, generate concept art, and draft placeholder text.
Beyond all of this, he was adamant that Divinity would not have AI-generated content and stated, "Everything is human actors; we’re writing everything ourselves." Vincke acknowledged that there was initially some internal pushback regarding the use of AI, but stated that the entire company is now comfortable with the way the tools are being utilized.
Keeping Divinity Under Wraps
Before its big reveal during The Game Awards (TGA) 2025, there were some rumblings that the ominous Hellstone statue teased by TGA organizer Geoff Keighley was connected to Divinity. The speculation was further heightened when new trademarked logos by Larian Studios surfaced online.
Speaking with VGC on December 16, Vincke shared how they approached the announcement and the lead-up to the TGA reveal. With fans connecting Divinity to the Hellstone statue, the developers were worried that it would sully the big reveal at the awards show.
"There was a bit of cursing. (Vincke laughs) It’s a thing that happens, right? It’s not the end of the world. There are way more important things in life. It was really cool to see that the audience was engaged with the Hellstone. It really was a lot of fun. We know, obviously, what every single thing on that stone means, which we will reveal over time. It would have been cooler if it had remained a secret," Vincke said.
Moreover, PlayStation, Xbox, and other platforms were also clueless about the announcement. The Larian founder stated, "The platforms didn’t know the game existed until The Game Awards. They just found out, so we still have to go and talk to them, so it was a fun reveal for them too. We really wanted to keep it a secret, which is really a pity that the leak happened."
In terms of fan reaction, Vincke said that they were satisfied with how the game’s reveal was received. He elaborated, "I think people reacted really well. It was really nice to see the love for the studio across all the fan communities. It was really, really fun. People are intrigued, which is good. There’s interest in what we’re making, which is really what we wanted to achieve. It’s up to us to deliver."
A New Dawn
With multiple games set in the world of the Divinity series, Vincke admitted that their universe is all over the place, and that the upcoming Divinity title will "clean that up." Although this is the case, they still want to respect everything that came before it, offering a defined continuity for the players.
"This game is going to be set after a big event from a previous game, so things that happened in the past have happened. They helped shape the world, but there’s a new dawn, there’s a new time coming. We wanted to show that we have a more grounded universe, so that was in there," he explained.
Additionally, Vincke highlighted the weight of players' decisions in the game, noting that they could amount to serious consequences. He said that the trailer is a great example of this system coming into play, making certain events play out because of players’ choices.
"We wanted to take an opportunity to say to players that the trailer was a scene you could have prevented. You could have said no, you shall not burn this man, or you could have been the person who put him inside the Wicker Man. The trailer has a whole bunch of little clues which people haven’t figured out yet," Vincke stated.
Larian Studios promised to share more details about the gameplay in the future, though it may take some time before those details are revealed to the public. "We are being super silent in [on] purpose right now about mechanics and that kind of thing, because we want you [to experience] them rather than talk about it."
Divinity is currently in development and has not yet announced a specific release date or the platforms it will be available on. More information can be found on the game's official website.
Source:
‘Baldur’s Gate 3’ Maker Promises ‘Divinity’ Will Be ‘Next Level’
‘We’re happy the secret lasted as long as it did’: Larian boss on Divinity’s blockbuster reveal and THAT statue stunt
