Larian Studios generated significant excitement at the 2025 Game Awards with the announcement of their upcoming RPG, Divinity. Studio head Swen Vincke has since provided extensive insights into the project, revealing that the development team is creating a brand new proprietary engine specifically for the game. This technological advancement represents a major shift from the studio's previous approach and addresses several technical constraints experienced during Baldur's Gate 3's development.

Vincke explained in an interview that the decision to move forward with Divinity came naturally as the team was already working on the new engine technology. The excitement within the studio was palpable once development shifted to the new project. "We moved Divinity forward because we were already working on a new engine for it," Vincke stated. "And you could see that the excitement was instantly back in the room, because we had all these new things we could do, and this freedom."

The studio head emphasized that this technological shift should ultimately benefit players by translating the development team's enthusiasm directly into the gaming experience. He believes that when developers have the right tools and creative freedom, players can sense the joy and passion invested in the final product. This strategic decision was made early in 2024, shortly after Baldur's Gate 3's successful launch.

🚀 Key Benefits of the New Engine:

• Enhanced flexibility for ruleset implementation

• Faster development iteration cycles

• Improved technical capabilities for complex environments

• Reduced need for technical compromises

In a separate discussion, Vincke candidly addressed the limitations of Baldur's Gate 3's engine from a technical perspective. He revealed that the previous technology often hindered the team's ability to quickly address issues during development. "With [Baldur's Gate 3], when we saw something wasn't working, it took us a long time to be able to react to it," he explained. The new engine promises to eliminate these delays, allowing for more agile development and quicker problem-solving.

Vincke specifically pointed to Baldur's Gate 3's third act as an example of where the engine struggled significantly. The technical constraints forced the development team to make compromises that affected the game's design and structure. The city environment had to be divided into separate sections due to memory limitations and the absence of proper streaming technology in the engine.

💡 Technical Constraints Overcome:

Baldur's Gate 3 Limitations	Divinity Engine Improvements
City environments split into sections	Seamless, unified environments
Limited memory management	Advanced streaming technology
Slow iteration on problems	Rapid development adjustments
Technical "smoke and mirrors"	More authentic implementation

While Vincke didn't specify exactly which city division he was referencing—whether the separation between Rivington and the Lower City or aspects of the Lower City being pushed underground—the implication is clear. The new engine will eliminate such technical workarounds, potentially resulting in larger, more cohesive game maps with fewer loading screens and instances.

This development suggests that Divinity will feature more expansive environments than its predecessor, with seamless transitions between areas that were previously impossible due to technical limitations. The improved engine technology represents Larian Studios' commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible in RPG development, learning from their experiences with Baldur's Gate 3 to create an even more immersive gaming experience.

The studio's approach demonstrates a thoughtful evolution in game development methodology, where technical infrastructure receives as much attention as creative elements. By building an engine specifically tailored to their vision for Divinity, Larian Studios aims to eliminate the constraints that previously forced creative compromises, potentially setting new standards for the RPG genre in 2025 and beyond.