Larian Studios Reveals Divinity, a Dark RPG Focused on Depth Over Shock

If you were watching The Game Awards 2025 hoping for a cozy, wholesome reveal from the folks who brought us Baldur’s Gate 3, well, I hope you weren’t eating dinner. Larian Studios just unveiled their next massive project, and it’s simply titled Divinity. No subtitles, no numbers—just Divinity. And based on the trailer, they are not holding back.

The reveal was anything but subtle. We’re talking about a cinematic trailer that starts with a medieval festival and quickly spirals into absolute nightmare fuel. Picture this: villagers celebrating, music playing, and a giant wicker man ready to burn. Pretty standard folk horror stuff, right? But then it gets gnarly. There’s a man chained inside the effigy, screaming as he burns, while the crowd… rejoices? It devolves into a chaotic scene of gore, sex, vomiting (yes, really), and blood-soaked soil sprouting screaming plants. It ends with that creepy Hellstone statue Geoff Keighley had been teasing for weeks.

Basically, Divinity is looking to be a dark, visceral experience that makes the darker moments of Baldur’s Gate 3 look like a walk in the park.

Divinity aims for Intellectual Respect, Not Just Shock Value

Naturally, a trailer featuring burning people and general debauchery sparked some heated debate online. Some fans are calling it “gore porn,” while others are praising Larian for pushing boundaries. Michael Douse, Larian’s publishing director, jumped into the fray to clarify the studio’s intent.

Responding to discussions on social media, Douse explained that the goal isn’t just to gross people out. “It isn’t about trying to shock them, it’s about trying to match their powers of comprehension so that it resonates,” Douse said. “We know people are capable of appreciating a three-dimensional world.” The team wants to treat the audience with “a level of intellectual respect,” trusting that players can handle heavy, complex themes without needing them sanitized.

Swen Vincke, the big boss at Larian, also chimed in with a press release that sets the stage for what’s coming. “The gods are silent. Rivellon bleeds. New powers stir,” he teased. He emphasized that this is the Divinity game they’ve always wanted to make, promising more breadth, depth, and intimacy than anything they’ve done before.

Return of the Beach Start?

In true Larian fashion, there might be a bit of a running gag returning. If you’ve played Divinity: Original Sin 2 or Baldur’s Gate 3, you know the drill: you usually wake up on a beach after a shipwreck (or a nautiloid crash). It’s practically a tradition at this point.

Following the announcement, Vincke posted online saying, “Going back to putting beaches in games now.” When a fan joked about waiting to wake up on a beach in shackles again, Vincke replied that he was “taking notes.” It’s playful banter, sure, but considering the studio’s track record, I wouldn’t bet against our new Divinity adventure starting with sand in our boots and a headache.

What We Know So Far

Here is the breakdown of the key info regarding Divinity:

• It’s a Reboot (Sort of): It’s a brand new game simply titled Divinity. You don’t need to have played previous entries, but vets of the series will find “greater understanding and continuity.”
• The Setting: We are back in the world of Rivellon.
• The Vibe: Dark, gritty, and ambitious. Larian claims it has more depth than anything they’ve created before.
• Release Date: Still TBD. We are likely a ways off, but the hype train has officially left the station.

Larian has earned a massive amount of goodwill after their last RPG masterpiece, so if they say they are ready to unchain their ambitions, we should probably listen. Just maybe keep a bucket nearby when you watch the trailer.