Larian Studios Explains Its Application of Generative AI for New Divinity

The studio behind popular RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin just shown its upcoming project, generating significant anticipation within the industry. However, subsequent statements from the company's co-founder have introduced clarity to the discussion, focusing on the studio's philosophy toward machine learning.

A Tool for Ideation, Not Replacement

In a new statement, Swen Vincke detailed that the company is using AI technology for certain ancillary tasks. These encompass enhancing presentation materials, creating early-stage artistic references, and drafting placeholder text.

Importantly, Vincke stressed that the final assets in the game will be crafted entirely by human creatives. "Our team is developing every line manually," he said.

Larian is continuously increasing our team of storytellers and are busily putting together dedicated writer rooms.

Since visual development is being explicitly mentioned — we currently have twenty-three artistic staff and have roles to fill for more creatives.

Everything we do is incremental and designed to having people spend more time on the creative process.

Any ML tool implemented properly is additive to a creative team process, not a substitute for their skill.

Addressing Concerns and Clarifying the Vision

The news of employing this technology originally provoked unease among a segment of the player base. In response, Vincke issued additional detail on social media.

"We use AI tools to gather inspiration, similar to we use Google and physical media," he explained. "In the conceptual planning process we use it as a basic framework for layout which we then substitute with authentic concept art."

He noted, "Larian brings on talent for their inherent skill, not for their willingness to execute what a machine suggests."

Three Pillars of Practical Application

Vincke had previously outlined the company's focused method to this technology, categorizing its use into key functions:

• Streamlining Repetitive Work: Areas like refining animations, voice editing, and pipeline-specific tasks like adapting animations for different models.
• Rapid Prototyping ('White Boxing'): Using technology to speedily create basic models of scenarios to test concepts before expensive implementation.
• Experimental Frontiers: Exploring how AI could in the future facilitate emergent gameplay, particularly in creating unforeseen permutations in a vast role-playing world.

He explicitly noted that core creative areas — such as music composition — are are absolutely not fields where the company is cutting human talent. On the contrary, Larian is recruiting more in these very fields.

"Larian is neither shipping a game with any AI components, and we are certainly not looking at trimming down creatives to substitute them with AI," Vincke stated definitively.