'If You Like Baldur's Gate 3, This Is Gonna Be Great' — Larian Boss Swen Vincke Reveals What to Expect From Divinity in First Interview Since The Game Awards Announcement

After the mammoth occurrence of Baldur's Gate 3, galore fans and the manufacture astatine ample were anxious to larn what developer Larian Studios would denote next, and we yet got that reply astatine The Game Awards 2025 with the uncover of a marque caller crippled successful the Divinity series. Divinity is the adjacent large a turn-based RPG from Larian, and it looks to beryllium conscionable arsenic sprawling successful scope and gruesome successful its brutality arsenic the developer's erstwhile release.

Shortly aft the reveal, IGN interviewed Swen Vincke, laminitis of Larian Studios and crippled manager of Baldur's Gate 3. Along with sharing his thoughts connected that viral tease for Divinity up of The Game Awards 2025, helium besides spoke astir the lessons learned from the occurrence of Baldur's Gate 3, and wherefore it was important for Larian to instrumentality to the bid that built the developer.

Be definite to cheque retired everything announced astatine The Game Awards 2025 for more, arsenic good arsenic the winners database successful full. And if you’re wondering what each this Divinity concern is about, cheque retired our useful explainer here.

Editor's Note: This interrogation has been edited for clarity and readability.

IGN: Firstly, were you amazed by however rapidly fans benignant of figured retired what that mysterious statue was and that it tied successful to you all?

Swen Vincke: With the velocity with which they discovered the statue? Well, Geoff Keighley tweeted it, truthful we're not amazed by however it turned retired aft that. I mean, I really thought we were gonna marque it, that it wasn't gonna leak until the show. But yeah, bureaucracy was against america due to the fact that it was excessively accelerated [and excessively adjacent to the show]. Normally, it takes much clip for thing similar that to beryllium filed, and present they filed really, truly fast.

The Hellstone teased the announcement of Divinity up of The Game Awards.

IGN: After the occurrence of Baldur's Gate 3, it seemed similar you and the developers had a batch of options for what was adjacent – particularly continuing with that franchise. Firstly, was the program to ever instrumentality to the Divinity bid close aft BG3 was finished?

Swen Vincke: No, we were moving connected thing other for Baldur's Gate originally, and I deliberation we've talked astir that publicly. Eventually, we were going to spell backmost to the Divinity series, but earlier we did, we were going to instrumentality much clip distant from it, and past we changed our minds, honestly. Our hearts weren't into the happening that we were making earlier this, truthful it was an instant determination to say, 'Okay, we person to marque Divinity now. So let's commencement doing it.' But erstwhile we did, it took america a small portion to acceptable everything up due to the fact that we didn't person thing ready. So it was rather a flip, for sure.

IGN: How acold on successful improvement is Divinity close now?

Swen Vincke: We've been moving connected it for implicit 2 years successful development. We're present successful afloat production.

IGN: It can't beryllium stated capable however massively palmy Baldur's Gate 3 was for not conscionable Larain Studios, but for however it renewed involvement successful the CRPG genre, the larger Dungeons and Dragons franchise, and besides brought successful caller players for some of those. What were immoderate cardinal lessons you took distant from that, and what bash you program to bring into the adjacent Divinity?

Swen Vincke: One of the biggest lessons was the occurrence of cinematics – and however we contiguous the communicative and choices. Obviously, we did a batch of things otherwise successful BG3 than we did with Divinity: Original Sin 2, and that crippled was overmuch better, I think. But the information that, erstwhile radical started seeing choices cinematically, what an interaction that has connected players, however they enslaved with the characters, and the attractions and choices successful the game. So I deliberation that was astir apt my biggest takeaway from everything, yeah, for sure.

IGN: Does returning to the Divinity bid consciousness antithetic present pursuing the occurrence of BG3? Do you presumption this bid otherwise present compared to however you felt astir Divinity: Original Sin 2?

Swen Vincke: Yeah, successful a way. We learned the worth of having a coagulated beingness down you, for sure. One of the archetypal things we started doing was saying, 'Okay, we're gonna enactment a batch of effort into making this beingness consciousness tidy.' That's besides wherefore we are conscionable calling it Divinity, right? There's ne'er been a crippled that's conscionable Divinity first, due to the fact that determination were each kinds of versions with antithetic names. So this is really going to beryllium Divinity, which is going to person a due beingness backing it. We're gathering everything arsenic you would expect, with tons of surprises, truthful that we tin physique connected apical of it. We learned that from BG, due to the fact that we spent a batch of clip delving done each kinds of DnD books, truthful that's astir apt 1 of the biggest takeaways from that improvement process.

IGN: Divinity is besides wholly owned by Larian Studios. You each person intimate cognition of the lore, and without moving with different agencies.

Swen Vincke: Yeah, we besides person the payment of being capable to bash what we privation with it, right? Other things bash not hindrance us. I mean, D&D, for each its glory, is simply a ruleset that is made for tabletop role-playing games. Here, we person the payment of making thing that's really a video crippled first. So it's precise different, but I deliberation radical who enjoyed Baldur's Gate 3 are gonna emotion what we're doing with this.

IGN: There indispensable beryllium a large state successful being capable to crook and adjacent interruption the rules of your systems nevertheless you please.

Swen Vincke: Yes, and we privation you to interruption the systems successful our games. That's our gameplay formula; we privation you to interruption things.

IGN: That was a portion of the amusive of Baldur's Gate 3 for galore people; you could travel up with immoderate wacky solutions to combat and quests. Would you accidental you're looking to elevate that adjacent with Divinity?

Swen Vincke: Yes [Laughs]. But I can't speech astir the game's mechanics yet. I deliberation you privation to observe this facet by seeing it. It's 1 happening to speech astir it, but erstwhile you're gonna spot it successful action, you're gonna say, 'Ah!,' you're gonna beryllium nodding. I deliberation if you similar BG3, this is gonna beryllium great.

IGN: Is the scope of this crippled bigger than Original Sin 2 and adjacent Baldur's Gate 3?

Swen Vincke: Ah, astute question. I volition accidental that it's bigger than BG3. I've really ne'er compared BG3 to Original Sin 2, truthful I don't cognize what the numbers are. I reckon BG3 is bigger for sure, yeah, but Original Sin 2 is beauteous large arsenic well. I can't comparison Divinity to Original Sin 2 accurately, but I tin accidental that it'll beryllium bigger than BG3.

IGN: As you make the Divinity beingness further, bash you consciousness much comfy operating wrong this setting, and does it consciousness easier compared to BG3?

Swen Vincke: I mean, it really feels a spot harder due to the fact that we person to make the full universe. We truly wanted to tidy up due to the fact that the archetypal Divinity games were made with small thought for universe-building, and it's lone successful Original Sin 2 that we started reasoning much astir it – but adjacent then, not truly 100% to what we did with Baldur's Gate 3. So present we're truly reasoning astir it, and truthful that's a batch of enactment to marque definite we get it right. Because it's the small things, right? I mean, what bash radical bash erstwhile they spell retired to eat? What bash they bash erstwhile they spell to sleep? What each of that has to beryllium called out. So there's a batch of worldly to consider.

IGN: Shifting to a improvement question, Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2 utilized the aboriginal entree merchandise model. Will Divinity beryllium planned with a akin merchandise model, including aboriginal access?

Swen Vincke: Most likely, but I don't privation to perpetrate to it close now, due to the fact that we don't cognize however the games manufacture volition change. We're not acceptable to bash thing successful aboriginal entree yet, but I deliberation it's worked good for america successful the past. We had the subordinate assemblage and their feedback, and that has made each of our games that were successful aboriginal entree overmuch better. So yeah, I deliberation we would precise overmuch similar to bash that again. But that said, we don't privation excessively galore radical playing successful aboriginal access, due to the fact that we bash request to 'cook' and it's inactive a play of development. So that mightiness beryllium a small spot problematic, but we'll see.

IGN: Given that Baldur's Gate 3 and Original Sin 2 were inactive precise overmuch structured successful accepted CRPG gameplay, bash you consciousness the request to power things up with mechanics to spell for thing different?

Swen Vincke: Well, we surely privation to innovate, yeah. But determination are immoderate halfway pillars that we don't request to change. It's going to beryllium a single-player game, and it's besides going to beryllium a cooperative multiplayer game. Obviously, each wrong our formula, and there's inactive plentifulness of country for innovation. So you volition see. There volition beryllium much bureau for sure, much state for sure, much shenanigans that you tin bash for sure. So, successful the operation of each these things, that's the happening that volition astonishment radical the most.

IGN: It feels similar we're successful this renaissance play for role-playing games successful the aftermath of Baldur's Gate 3, particularly the CRPG-style of video games. As a developer and an admirer of the genre, bash you consciousness optimistic astir wherever this genre of games is going, particularly successful however they archer stories?

Swen Vincke: Yeah, surely for the genres of RPGs, I can't talk for different developers, but you spot that there's mode much involvement and concern wealth disposable to enactment into RPGs. I mean, an RPG won the Game of the Year contiguous astatine The Game Awards. We besides person Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, which was besides nominated tonight, on with Hades 2, which has a batch of RPG elements, adjacent though it's a roguelite. So, I deliberation it's… normal, yeah? Because I deliberation it's 1 of the champion genres retired there.

Swen Vincke admits the unit is connected Larian to deliver. Image credit: Larian.

IGN: On that note, did you play Expedition 33?

Swen Vincke: I haven't finished it yet, but it's truly good. I took an involvement successful it precise aboriginal connected due to the fact that the creation benignant instantly appealed to me. So yeah, I deliberation it's a singular achievement.

IGN: When it comes to moving connected the adjacent Divinity crippled aft BG3, is determination a consciousness of unit connected yourselves to deliver?

Swen Vincke: Yeah, the unit is high. Pressure is high. Yes, for sure. We consciousness the unit connected our shoulders, yeah, particularly due to the fact that we acceptable precocious ambitions for ourselves. But I mean the other of that would beryllium that we say, "Oh, you cognize what, we'll conscionable marque a lesser game." That wouldn't beryllium precise motivating astatine all.

IGN: Well, it seems similar you're feeling large astir the existent imaginativeness for Divinity and feeling bully astir what's to come.

Swen Vincke: Oh, no, we're successful the mediate of improvement – there's ever anxiety, for definite [Laughs]. These are analyzable things to make, truthful it's not like, "Oh, let's marque the game." No, it's a messiness [to marque games], but we'll beryllium good eventually. The squad is good, we person trust, and we cognize that they cognize what they're doing, that yet we're going to get what comes retired of it. But if you were to spell and look now, it's arsenic messy arsenic a gathering that is nether construction, right?

Eventually, we volition fig it out. We volition larn the connection of the crippled and however to constitute successful it to commencement making poetry. Eventually, it gets truly good, but it takes time. It takes iteration, and each azygous clip you instrumentality an other step, you larn much things astir your game, and past you amended it. And that's conscionable a process that takes time.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].