Larian CEO Claims Divinity Will Outshine Baldur’s Gate 3 in Every Aspect
After much speculation online about the meaning behind Geoff Keighley’s mysterious obelisk, it was finally unveiled at The Game Awards that the statue is tied to Divinity, the upcoming title from Larian Studios, the creators of Baldur’s Gate 3. Shortly after this announcement, we received an invitation to sit down with game director Swen Vincke and writing director Adam Smith to discuss the game. While the team at Larian always intended to return to the Divinity universe, it wasn’t their initial plan after Baldur’s Gate 3. “We were going to explore more Dungeons and Dragons content, and we were figuring out what that would look like,” Smith explains. “Then one day, we realized we weren’t excited about it, and we didn’t want to create something that didn’t inspire us. So we asked, ‘Can we jump back to Divinity right away?’”
To make this happen, the team recognized they had a significant amount of work ahead. Although Rivellon, the world of the Divinity games, has been extensively explored in past titles, Larian had never built their universe from scratch before. “We learned from BG3 the importance of having a solid ruleset, an engaging allure, and a well-defined world,” Vincke shares. “It was quite a bit of work. We figured out the days of the week, what people eat for dinner, how they dress—everything needed to be established. As we progressed, we realized this was a solid foundation for everything we were creating. There’s never been a true Divinity game, so we decided to call it Divinity. People will quickly refer to it as the Divinity Universe and embrace it.”
Divinity and Baldur’s Gate 3 share a rich fantasy backdrop filled with magic and diverse races, but their gameplay diverges significantly. While the Original Sin series has some similarities to Baldur’s Gate 3, earlier entries resembled games like Diablo and The Witcher. So, what can players expect from this new Divinity? “Agency,” Vincke states clearly. “Agency at every level. In the systems, how you develop your character and identity, and of course, in the narrative and choices you make.” He also highlights the dark tone of the trailer that debuted at the TGAs. “The player will either bring light into the darkness or plunge it deeper into shadow,” Vincke explains. “We want you to be surprised by the extent of what you can do.”
When asked for more specific gameplay details, Smith emphasizes that the team wants the game to speak for itself when it’s ready. “You don’t want to be told, ‘This is what it’s going to do.’ You want to see it,” he says. “You know the kind of games we make, so you can speculate from there. We’ll show it to you as soon as we’re ready.” While Divinity may be the first game in the series for many players due to the success of Baldur’s Gate 3, the team is committed to ensuring that long-time fans feel it continues the legacy of previous titles. “We make sure that continuity is present. If you didn’t know it, you’ll still fully grasp what’s happening,” Vincke assures. He explains that it will be similar to how Baldur’s Gate 3 maintained continuity with earlier games without requiring players to have experienced Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2. He also notes that the Original Sin games sold over 10 million copies, meaning there’s a substantial returning player base alongside newcomers from BG3.
Of course, the success of Baldur’s Gate 3 brings pressure for Divinity to meet player expectations. However, the Larian team isn’t overly concerned, as Smith points out the vast potential for innovation within the RPG genre. “Clair Obscur is so different from us, and they nailed it, right? They made the game they wanted to make, but in a completely different way,” he says. Despite not feeling the need to compete with Baldur’s Gate 3, Vincke is confident that their new game will surpass their previous efforts. “It’s going to be better, in my opinion, on all fronts,” he asserts. “One of the biggest challenges we faced with Baldur’s Gate 3 was the complexity of different rulesets for each class, which made onboarding players tricky. I’m surprised it worked out as well as it did. When you see what we can achieve with a game that isn’t derived from tabletop mechanics, it’s going to be a lot better.” For those eager to get a glimpse of what Divinity might offer, the previous entry in the series, Original Sin 2, has just launched on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
