Larian Studios has officially revealed its next project following the juggernaut success of Baldur’s Gate 3, and it is heading back to familiar territory. The studio unveiled ‘Divinity’ at The Game Awards, confirming a brand-new entry in its long-running fantasy universe and describing it as its “biggest game ever”, even larger in scope than Baldur’s Gate 3.
The announcement follows a week of increasingly unsubtle teasing, including a mysterious statue planted in the Californian desert and a trademark filing that rather spoiled the surprise. Still, even with the cat halfway out of the bag, the official reveal managed to land with a satisfying thud.
A very normal village ritual, nothing to worry about
The world premiere trailer is pre-rendered rather than gameplay footage, but it wastes no time setting the tone, and that tone is considerably darker than Larian’s recent work. The footage shows a man being burned alive inside a wicker-style effigy, visibly terrified and screaming, while the surrounding villagers treat the whole thing like a cheerful Saturday-night knees-up.
Masked cultists, flagellants, and revellers dance and celebrate beneath a strange celestial alignment, completely unfazed by the screaming man in the middle of the festivities. Very The Wicker Man. Very much not a red flag for the locals.
As the man continues to burn, his melting body appears to eject some kind of malevolent, tar-like substance, sending the villagers screaming as the ritual goes catastrophically wrong. The unleashed force turns on the crowd itself, ultimately fusing the revellers into a grotesque, writhing mass that forms the same mysterious desert statue that had sparked speculation earlier this week. Pro tip for future cults: always check your sacrifice is not possessed by an ancient cosmic horror before lighting the match.
Bigger than Baldur’s Gate 3
Host Geoff Keighley described ‘Divinity’ as Larian’s biggest game to date, explicitly stating it would be even larger than Baldur’s Gate 3. That is a bold claim, given the sheer size, complexity, and player freedom of Larian’s most recent RPG, but this is a studio that has earned the right to talk big.
Importantly, this is not Divinity: Original Sin 3. The simplified title suggests a soft reboot of sorts, or at least a fresh starting point for the series. In a press release, Larian confirmed:
“While Divinity is a brand new game that doesn’t require experience with previous Larian titles, those who’ve played Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 will be able to enjoy greater understanding and continuity.”
That points toward Rivellon once again, but without requiring new players to memorise two decades of lore, timeline contradictions, and characters who may or may not still be alive depending on which game you last played.
A new chapter for an old world
Larian founder and CEO Swen Vincke also addressed the significance of the title, explaining why the studio has finally gone with the most obvious name possible:
“Despite our long history with the series, this is our first game entitled ‘Divinity’. We’re ready to bring everything we’ve done previously into one place. This marks the beginning of something with more breadth, depth, and intimacy than anything we’ve created before. We’ve been building toward this moment ever since we took our fate into our own hands. This is the Divinity we’ve always wanted to make and you’re going to have loads of fun with it.”
Vincke later added on social media that he had never been so nervous about an announcement, calling ‘Divinity’ Larian’s most ambitious RPG yet. Which, again, is not a small statement from the studio that delivered one of the most celebrated RPGs of the last decade.
No release date yet
At the moment, ‘Divinity’ does not have a release window, and Larian has not confirmed whether it will use an Early Access model again. Given how instrumental Early Access was to Baldur’s Gate 3, it would not be surprising, but for now, Larian is keeping its cards firmly face down.
What is clear is that the studio is not playing it safe. Darker themes, a stripped-back title, and promises of even greater scale suggest Larian is aiming to push beyond what it achieved with Baldur’s Gate 3, rather than simply repeating the formula.
If this really is bigger, deeper, and stranger than what came before, then Rivellon may be about to get a lot more uncomfortable.
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