According to engadget, Larian Studios announced its next project, a new entry in the Divinity series simply titled Divinity, at The Game Awards 2025. This comes two years after the studio’s Baldur’s Gate III won the Game of the Year prize at the 2023 ceremony. The developer stated this will be its biggest game to date, promising “more breadth and depth than ever before.” The announcement followed rumors sparked by TGA host Geoff Keighley sharing a photo of a mysterious statue in the Mojave Desert, which matched a recently trademarked Divinity logo. The reveal trailer featured a gruesome, Wicker Man-inspired scene of burning effigies with people chained inside.
The Post-BG3 Pivot
So, Larian’s going home. After the universe-shattering success of Baldur’s Gate 3, which was basically a perfect storm of deep RPG mechanics, stellar writing, and a beloved license, the obvious move would have been to dive straight into a sequel or DLC. But here’s the thing: they didn’t. They walked away from Dungeons & Dragons to return to their own original world. That’s a fascinating, confident pivot. It tells you they’re not just chasing the money; they have a story they want to tell in their own sandbox. The pressure, though, is immense. BG3 set a new bar for the entire CRPG genre. Now they have to meet—or exceed—that bar with their own IP, without the built-in audience of Faerûn.
The Gruesome Tease
Let’s talk about that trailer. A live performance with actors hoisted in the air? Burning wicker men? That’s not your typical fantasy epic opener. It’s deliberately shocking and dark, almost horror-adjacent. It feels like a statement. They’re signaling that this isn’t just “Original Sin 3.” They’re pushing the tone somewhere new, maybe grittier and more visceral. After the nuanced, character-driven drama of BG3, this seems like a pivot to something more primal and ritualistic. I’m curious: is this the core theme of the game, or just a striking marketing beat? Either way, it got everyone’s attention. You don’t forget that imagery.
Rumors and Reality
The lead-up was a masterclass in modern hype-building. Geoff Keighley posts a cryptic photo of a weird statue in the desert, and the internet detectives go to work. Sites like MP1st connected it to a new Divinity trademark almost immediately. That’s how you do it in 2025—you create a puzzle that the community can *almost* solve, which builds more anticipation than any official press release. It makes the eventual reveal feel earned, like a shared secret. Basically, Larian and Keighley played the game perfectly. They knew the rumor mill would churn, and they fed it just enough fuel.
What Comes Next?
Now the real work begins. “Biggest game ever” is a huge promise. More breadth and depth than BG3? That’s a monumental technical and creative challenge. We’re talking about scaling up an already incredibly complex game design. How do you manage that scope without it becoming a bloated, unfocused mess? Can their writing and systems keep up with a larger world? And honestly, can they capture that magic again? Baldur’s Gate 3 was a once-in-a-generation phenomenon. Returning to Divinity is a brave move, but it also resets expectations. The hype is sky-high, but so is the difficulty. I think everyone’s rooting for them, but man, they’ve set one hell of a task for themselves.
