Larian CEO Affirms Divinity as a Turn-Based RPG, Predicts It Will Outshine Baldur’s Gate 3
It’s been just under a week since Larian Studios unveiled their latest project, Divinity. Fans have been buzzing about whether it would lean towards an action-RPG style. While many details remain under wraps, studio head Swen Vincke has made it clear that this game will stick to a turn-based format, similar to their recent successes, including Baldur’s Gate 3. He’s also confident that it will surpass the acclaimed 2023 Dungeons & Dragons Game of the Year.
“Baldur’s Gate 3 was a solid title, and I take pride in it, but I genuinely believe this one will be even better,” Vincke shared in a recent interview. One of the hurdles during the development of BG3 was adapting the existing rules from Wizards of the Coast’s tabletop RPG into a video game format. “This time, we’re creating a system specifically designed for gaming. It’s much more intuitive,” he explained.
Given that BG3 has already become one of the most cherished games of the past decade, topping it is no small feat, but the seasoned developer seems unfazed. “[Divinity] is going to be us unleashed, I think,” Vincke remarked. “It’s a turn-based RPG that incorporates everything you’ve come to expect from us, but it’s elevated to the next level.”
This “next level” is set to be realized through increased development resources and a broader network of studios, enabling the team to work on more aspects of the game simultaneously. Vincke mentioned that Larian is targeting a development timeline of three to four years for Divinity, a significant reduction from the six years it took to develop BG3. However, it will still launch in Early Access and is not expected to release until 2026.
Where will this enhanced investment be evident? Expect more cinematic sequences and innovative narrative elements—essentially, the aspects of BG3 that fans adored the most. “We’re introducing a few features that I believe you haven’t seen in RPGs before,” the Larian co-founder stated. Here’s hoping Divinity lives up to the hype.
