new Interview published on Bloomberg Today, reporter Jason Schreier interviewed Larian Studios CEO Swen Wincke ahead of last week's Game Awards and asked him a few questions about the new Divinity game. The world premiere was released last week, and most people were excited by the ridiculous depictions of violence and depravity that were set up in the trailer. It's been almost a decade since the last Divinity: Original Sin was released, so it's definitely time for something new. Sadly, the entire title may be marred by some revelations Schreier reveals during the discussion.
As the headline suggests, Larian Studios is currently fully focused on developing generative AI. Vincke told Schreier that while its use is relegated to the game planning process, it's involved in everything from concept art to PowerPoint presentations and even placeholder text. In a pretty damning quote, Vincke says that despite some backlash, “I think everyone at the company more or less agrees with how we're using it at this point.”
In a strange form of brain teaser, Vincke explains, “It's all human actors. We write everything ourselves.” He credits his team with using AI tools to explore new ideas and forcing them to flesh out PowerPoint presentations to share those ideas. Interestingly, Vincke admits that incorporating AI into Larian's workflows hasn't significantly increased productivity. It seems like it shouldn't be used.
The beginning of the interview sounds like a serious discussion about the creative process and how Larian lets artists bring their ideas to life, but once you get to the AI part, it all starts to ring hollow. The next Divinity probably won't include AI-generated content, but it probably would have been included in the planning process. For most people, this is enough to write off everything.
Check out more content from Larian Studios
Next-gen update for Divinity: Original Sin 2 now available (including Switch 2 port)
Next Divinity game releases grotesque, Wicker Man-esque trailer at The Game Awards
Written by Peter Glagorski
Peter has been a freelance game and film critic for over 7 years. His passion for Nintendo is matched only by the size of his collection.
