Larian’s Divinity trailer sparks mixed reactions, while Obsidian’s Josh Sawyer comments on the surprising things that upset gamers, adding a nod to “Wicker Man x Event Horizon.”

At Larian Studios, there’s likely a well-used whiteboard filled with a list titled “The Grossest Stuff We Can Think Of.” At least, that’s what I imagine, and I suspect many of those ideas made their way into the reveal trailer for Divinity, the eagerly awaited RPG from the creators of Baldur’s Gate 3.

“The new Divinity trailer was fantastic,” shared RPG veteran Josh Sawyer in a recent post, “but it’s wild to see what upsets people in games while they’re totally fine with something like Wicker Man meets Event Horizon.”

The enthusiastic reception for the Divinity reveal comes on the heels of the controversial case of Horses, an indie horror game that faced bans from various platforms and was deemed by some as the pinnacle of depravity, when in reality, it barely scratched the surface. From what we’ve seen in the trailer, Divinity appears to push the envelope even further. “For adult audiences only,” it boldly states at the start.

That reveal was truly something else—three minutes packed with a man engulfed in flames, public orgies, pigs feasting on vomit (twice!), and a child in the crowd watching with a mix of excitement and concern over the blood demons. Who hasn’t played the pigs-eating-vomit card and thought, “Wow, that hits,” only to play it again? And who hasn’t enjoyed a day where you bring your child to an execution? If you were dozing off during the late-night showcase of The Game Awards 2025, this trailer was a jolt to the system.

“I genuinely felt it was too much,” responded Joakim Sandberg, creator of Iconoclasts, to Sawyer’s post. “It wasn’t from a puritanical perspective, but more about the sheer indulgence and grotesqueness.” I can relate; I found myself thinking it might be over the top during my second viewing. It is indeed indulgent and grotesque, and the online reactions seem to mirror those towards a particularly graphic trailer for The Last of Us Part 2, which also reveled in its violence. However, I won’t fault developers for exploring discomfort or nastiness. It’s certainly memorable, and discomfort in art shouldn’t be avoided. Clearly, the world of Divinity is anything but comfortable.

“A friend pointed out that the first BG3 trailer also had extreme body horror, and I don’t recall a similar backlash,” noted Nicholas Cameron, a senior level designer at Respawn Entertainment. “I’m not sure if it’s due to a more puritanical attitude in our culture now or because this one includes sex.”

If you revisit the Baldur’s Gate 3 cinematic teaser from 2019, you’ll find contorted flesh, public massacres, and, of course, vomit. None of this is new for games or for Larian.

“And at that time, people said this trailer was brutal…” a recent comment on that teaser states.

In its discussions with Valve regarding Horses, developer Santa Ragione mentioned it significantly altered a scene that was likely a deal-breaker for Steam approval, which originally featured a young girl riding on the shoulders of a naked woman reduced to a “horse” in the game’s twisted narrative. In the final version, both women in that scene are clearly adults. I’m curious to see if there will be similar outrage over Divinity’s public orgies next to executions with a little girl standing just a few feet away.

I’m joking, of course; both games—both aesthetics, really, since Divinity is still just a trailer and a statue—are perfectly fine, and it would be absurd to label them as unacceptable or worthy of bans. But as Sawyer points out, the extremes and timing of Divinity’s reveal highlight the strange and inconsistent standards for acceptable grotesqueries, palatable violence, and a moral compass that seems to malfunction when the hype train picks up speed.

Divinity is a “brand-new game” that doesn’t require prior experience with Larian Studios’ previous RPGs, but having played Original Sin and its sequel will certainly enhance your experience.