At the Game Awards 2025, Larian Studios presents their new game Divinity, which comes across as dark and mature with body horror in the trailer.
Yes, thanks to the revealed secret of the statue, we actually already knew: Larian announces that they are returning to Divinity and thus back to the world of Rivellon.
What is behind Divinity? The series is a fantasy role-playing series that began in 2002 with Divine Divinity. Since then, you have explored the world of Rivellon in several parts, and there have already been various genres: from isometric hack-and-slash to tactical, turn-based CRPGs.
The success took a long time to come until the release of Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel. The role-playing games are praised for their great player freedom, a strong co-op mode, and complex decisions.
Game Awards trailer showcases a gruesome world
In the trailer on YouTube, you quickly see which direction Divinity will take: An old man is burned on the pyre while people around him happily celebrate and drink, engaging in lovemaking, and a few monsters emerge from the victim’s blood:
Bigger than Baldur’s Gate 3 and even better thanks to Divinity?
In the press release, Studio Head Swen Vincke announced that their new game will be even bigger and more ambitious:
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.
There are many fans who claim that the Divinity Original Sin series is even fundamentally better than Baldur’s Gate 3. I personally count myself among them – and that’s despite having spent more than 1,000 hours in Baldur’s Gate 3 by now.
Of course, it must be said that Larian’s Game of the Year is clearly ahead in terms of production quality and narrative. Just thinking about some scenes, like Astarion meeting Cazador or the transformation of Dame Aylin, still gives me goosebumps.
However, one factor puts Baldur’s Gate 3 at a disadvantage and has always limited the team’s creativity: Larian had to adhere to the ruleset of Dungeons & Dragons.That’s why, as a fan, especially of Divinity Original Sin 2, I am inwardly doing cartwheels right now.
What makes Divinity better: What the Divinity Original Sin series did better was the amount of freedom available within the systems. In combat alone, you can experiment endlessly because it’s based on the interaction of elements like water, fire, oil, or poison. You can spill oil, set it on fire, then pour water on it to create steam, and electrify that steam—and just like that, an entire enemy army is wiped out. There are also big differences in the actions, which you can combine more freely than in Baldur’s Gate 3 if you forgo other actions. The dice-roll luck from Dungeons & Dragons is also eliminated; you have more control in these games. The hit probability is usually 95% or 100%.
The atmosphere was also significantly more bizarre. One of my absolute favorites is something like Sir Lora: a squirrel that rides on a dead cat and accompanies you. That’s exactly the kind of thing I want more of.
No Prior Knowledge Needed
Divinity clearly seems to be a kind of fresh start for the series. That is likely why they chose to simply call the game Divinity. Larian itself says that absolutely no prior knowledge of the series is needed for the new installment, but that those who have played Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin 2 will have a deeper understanding.
I am quite sure that Baldur’s Gate 3 was essentially just the springboard for Larian to now have the resources to go completely wild. I sincerely hope that the studio will not succumb to megalomania, but I am optimistic and looking forward to it. The chains are off, and Larian can now craft the ultimate RPG of their dreams.
A release window has not yet been announced. However, it will probably take a while.
For Dungeons & Dragons fans, there was also something at The Game Awards:
