Although it was only a CGI trailer featuring no gameplay, the reveal of Larian Studios' Divinity was undoubtedly among the highlights of this year's The Game Awards, and for good reason, as the game is set to be even bigger than Baldur's Gate 3.
It is not only the promise of a much bigger game that has got fans excited about Larian's next game. In true studio fashion, the reveal trailer held nothing back regarding dark and mature themes, and not to shock players, but to treat them with a level of intellectual respect, according to a studio representative.
Replying to a user on X, Larian Publishing director Michael Douse commented on the trailer's emphasis on dark themes, saying that "treating the audience with a level of intellectual respect" came up a lot during planning. "It isn't about trying to shock them, it's about trying to match their powers of comprehension so that it resonates. We know people are capable of appreciating a three dimensional world."
This commitment to intellectual respect isn't surprising, considering how Larian has approached player agency in the past. Playing the "evil" or morally complex path in titles like Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Baldur's Gate 3 is often designed to be just as interesting and nuanced as the selfless hero route. It is great to hear that the massive success of Baldur's Gate 3 hasn't changed the studio's approach in creating three-dimensional worlds and stories that don't need to be sanitized to appeal to a wider range of players.
Divinity will mark Larian Studios' return to the franchise after Divinity: Original Sin 2, which launched in 2017 on PC and consoles. Despite the studio's long history with the franchise, the new game will mark "the beginning of something with more breadth, depth, and intimacy than anything we’ve created before," and the "Divinity we’ve always wanted to make," according to Larian CEO Swen Vincke.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.
