Larian says the new Divinity will outdo Baldur’s — here’s why that matters (and what to be wary of)

Why Larian’s Divinity Reveal Actually Matters

This caught my attention because Larian just finished one of the most talked-about RPG hits in years with Baldur’s Gate 3, and now the studio is – bluntly – promising something even better in the Divinity universe. That’s not small talk: it’s a development studio publicly saying it will top its biggest success. The Game Awards teaser and a follow-up sit-down with Divinity director Swen Vincke and writing director Adam Smith (via GameSpot) gave us the bones of what’s next: a rebuilt Rivellon, a heavy focus on player agency, and deliberate silence on actual gameplay until Larian is ready to show it.

• Key takeaway 1: Larian is rebuilding Rivellon from the ground up – literal worldbuilding details matter to how the game will play.
• Key takeaway 2: The studio promises “agency at every level” – systems, character development, and narrative choices are the headline feature.
• Key takeaway 3: Larian refuses to show gameplay until they can present it properly; that’s confident, but also delays our ability to judge the claim “better on all fronts.”
• Key takeaway 4: If you haven’t played Divinity before, Baldur’s Gate 3 may be your entry point – Larian says newcomers won’t be lost.

Breaking Down the reveal: What Larian actually said

After the TGA statue mystery, Vincke and Smith confirmed that Divinity is next. They explained why the studio pivoted away from more Dungeons & Dragons projects: the team realized they weren’t excited about a follow-up D&D project, and excitement matters for the kind of games Larian makes. So they asked a blunt question: can we go back to Divinity right away? The answer was yes — but only after committing to rebuild Rivellon properly.

That rebuild isn’t marketing fluff. Vincke described actually creating a ruleset for the setting — mundane things like days of the week, food, clothing — the scaffolding that turns a fantasy map into a living world. They learned from Baldur’s Gate 3 the value of firm systemic foundations: if the world’s rules are clear, systems interact in interesting, emergent ways.

Why this matters now

Rivellon is a known quantity for long-time Divinity fans, but many new players will discover the setting via Baldur’s Gate 3. Larian is betting their modern credibility lets them reintroduce the universe to a much larger audience while still giving longtime fans continuity. That’s sensible — Original Sin 1 and 2 laid groundwork, and Larian points to over 10 million sales across the Original Sin titles as proof there’s a returning base. But reintroducing a world at scale is different than iterating on a single game; it’s a chance to fix things that didn’t work and to build new systems that match modern expectations.

“Agency at every level” — hopeful slogan, but what should players expect?

Vincke’s line about “agency at every level” is the most concrete promise we have. For Larian, that likely means systems designed to let player choices ripple: skills and interactions that combine in surprising ways, narrative beats that shift depending on systems outcomes, and character development that isn’t just numbers but identity. That’s the design philosophy that made Original Sin 2 a sandbox classic.

Still, there are questions. Vincke also said one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s biggest struggles was the complexity of multiple class-specific rulesets. He claims Divinity will be “better on all fronts” and that making something not derived from tabletop rules will allow tighter design. That could mean cleaner onboarding and more consistent systems — or it could mean a different kind of complexity. We need to see actual play to judge.

The marketing pause: show don’t tell

Adam Smith’s insistence on withholding gameplay details until the team has something that “speaks for itself” is both reassuring and frustrating. It’s healthy — a gameplay reveal beats a list of buzzwords — but it also buys time for hype to build. Larian has the credibility to pull it off if they deliver, but fans should hold their applause until we see how agency, narrative continuity, and system polish actually play together.

The Gamer’s Perspective

If you loved Original Sin or BG3, this is promising. Larian wants to keep continuity while opening the door for new players, and that balance is achievable: Baldur’s Gate 3 didn’t require familiarity with 1 and 2 to enjoy. My skeptical hat is on for the “better on all fronts” line — that’s a heavy bar — but I’m excited about a studio willing to rebuild a fantasy world properly and prioritize systems that let players invent solutions.

Until we get a gameplay reveal, the sensible play is to temper excitement with caution. In the meantime, if you want a hint of what Larian can do when they control the rules and systems, Original Sin 2 remains one of the best modern CRPG sandboxes — and it just launched on current consoles for new players to try.

TL;DR

Larian promising Divinity will top Baldur’s Gate 3 is headline-making—and plausible given their track record—but it’s marketing until gameplay appears. Expect deeper worldbuilding and player agency, stay skeptical about blanket “better” claims, and watch for a real demo before you preorder.