Larian Studios CEO explains generative AI use in development of Divinity

Today, in an interview with Bloomberg, the CEO of Larian Studios spoke about the ongoing development of their latest title, Divinity, which was recently revealed during the Game Awards. Apparently, the team is using generative AI to support the process, but there won’t be any AI-generated content in the final product. This is the same studio that, just a few months ago, criticized Elon Musk for claiming he would release a game largely built by AI in 2026. Larian has never been staunchly opposed to AI, but they have said in the past that it will never replace developers; it will only be a helpful tool that allows them to do more.

Larian is using generative AI to support the development of Divinity, but it won’t be in the final product

Larian Studios is the team behind 2023’s massively successful Baldur’s Gate 3, and they remain an independent studio to this day. This means no corporate overlords are pushing the adoption or use of generative AI, like in other parts of the industry. According to the interview with Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, CEO Swen Vinke’s goal is to reduce development time this time around, saying, “I think three to four years is much healthier than six years…” The CEO told Bloomberg that generative AI is helping the creators explore ideas, develop concept art, and write placeholder text. But none of this generated content will be in the final product.

Vincke told Schreier that “everything is human actors; we’re writing everything ourselves…” So far, the CEO also claims that the use of generative AI has not led to significant gains in efficiency. This reminds me of recent comments from the former director of The Witcher 3, who talked about using generative AI voices in his upcoming game, The Blood of Dawnwalker, as placeholders before bringing in real voice actors. Some developers see AI as a helpful tool for solving specific development problems, such as hearing how a voice line might be delivered before bringing in performers.

Related:Biggest project in Larian history. Divinity is expected to offer „depth and intimacy” that we haven't even seen in BG3

Reportedly, there has been some pushback from other team members at Larian, but Vincke says that “at this point, everyone at the company is more or less OK with the way we’re using it.” AI has been a controversial topic recently, particularly in gaming. Steam has introduced an AI disclosure tag that each developer must fill out. Some people, like the CEO of Epic Games, think the tag should be removed altogether because AI use has become so widespread. But how should a studio like Larian approach it? If a game uses generative AI in the development process, but none of that generated content appears in the game, what do they need to disclose?

Divinity is at least several years away from launch, and that’s not including the high possibility of Larian using several years of Early Access as they did with Baldur’s Gate 3. It will be interesting to see how the industry changes from now until then. Will AI be more commonplace and accepted? What kind of regulations will be in place, if any? For now, we’ll have to wait to see.

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• Larian Studios