A New Dawn for Rivellon: Larian Studios Unveils Divinity
Following the monumental success of Baldur's Gate 3, Larian Studios has officially announced its next ambitious project: Divinity. Revealed at The Game Awards 2025, this new role-playing game marks a return to Larian's beloved fantasy setting of Rivellon, promising an experience of unprecedented scale and depth.
Technical Breakdown
Development Philosophy and Scale
Larian Studios has declared Divinity to be its "biggest most ambitious rpg yet," aiming to surpass even the acclaimed Baldur's Gate 3 in both scale and scope. This ambition is underpinned by Larian's established development philosophy, which prioritizes player agency, a reactive world, and fostering creative experimentation. The studio encourages players to make bold choices, embrace chaos, and shape their own narratives, with the game systems designed to adapt to player decisions. Larian's commitment to developer happiness is also a core tenet, believing that satisfied developers ultimately lead to superior content.
The development of Baldur's Gate 3 spanned approximately six years, with three of those years spent in an Early Access phase that allowed for extensive player feedback and refinement. While no release date or even a release year has been announced for Divinity, Larian's history suggests a potentially lengthy development cycle, possibly including an Early Access period. The studio utilizes its proprietary "Divinity Engine," with Baldur's Gate 3 running on Divinity Engine 4.0. Larian attributes part of its success to using its in-house engine, preferring it over commercial alternatives like Unreal Engine due to greater control over the development roadmap.
Setting, Lore, and Narrative Direction
Divinity transports players back to Rivellon, the rich high-fantasy world familiar from the Divinity: Original Sin series. The reveal trailer showcased a darker, more horrifying tone, featuring a man being burned in a wicker man, ritual sacrifice, and the summoning of a "giant corpse portal" referred to as the Hellstone. This initial glimpse suggests a narrative steeped in political intrigue, mystical forces, and a pervasive sense of divine absence.
The world of Rivellon is populated by various races, including humans, elves, dwarves, lizard-like beings, and orcs, all of whom were present in the reveal trailer. While Divinity is a brand-new game that does not necessitate prior experience with previous Larian titles, those familiar with Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 will find a deeper understanding and continuity within the lore.
Anticipated Gameplay Elements
Based on Larian's acclaimed track record, particularly with Baldur's Gate 3 and the Divinity: Original Sin series, players can anticipate a deeply interwoven system of party-based combat, environmental interaction, and impactful narrative choices. Larian's games are renowned for their turn-based combat, sandbox-like rules, and support for four-player co-op. The studio's emphasis on emergent gameplay means that nearly every object, surface, and spell effect can serve multiple purposes, rewarding player creativity in problem-solving. Expect an adventuring party with personal quests and optional romances, alongside the charming inclusion of talking animals, a staple of Larian's previous works.
Expert Verdict
Larian Studios' announcement of Divinity has ignited considerable excitement within the RPG community. The studio's unwavering commitment to player-driven narratives, expansive worlds, and technical excellence, as demonstrated by the critical and commercial triumph of Baldur's Gate 3, sets a high bar for this new title. While specific gameplay details and a release timeline remain under wraps, the promise of Larian's "most ambitious RPG yet" returning to their cherished Rivellon universe positions Divinity as a highly anticipated contender in the evolving landscape of large-scale role-playing games. The decision to return to their own IP grants Larian full creative freedom, suggesting a game that could further redefine the genre's boundaries.