Larian Studios Clarifies Its Use of AI Tools for Upcoming Divinity Game
The team behind acclaimed RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin just teased its next major project, sparking immense excitement within the gaming community. However, follow-up remarks from the company's co-founder have brought nuance to the narrative, touching on the team's philosophy toward generative artificial intelligence.
A Tool for Ideation, Not Replacement
In a new clarification, the studio's founder explained that the company is utilizing AI technology for particular ancillary tasks. These encompass developing PowerPoint slides, generating early-stage artistic references, and drafting draft dialogue.
Crucially, Vincke stressed that the final assets in the game will be authored solely by real artists. "Larian is writing all the content ourselves," he affirmed.
Our studio is actively expanding our roster of writers and are currently forming narrative groups.
Since visual development is being particularly called out — we currently have over twenty artistic staff and have roles to fill for further creatives.
All our efforts we do is incremental and aimed at letting our team spend greater focus on the creative process.
Any machine learning application used well is supplementary to a artist's process, not a substitute for their craft.
Tempering Reactions with Clear Intent
The news of AI usage at first provoked unease among some the player base. In response, Vincke issued additional detail on social media.
"We use these tools to gather inspiration, similar to we use the internet and reference books," he wrote. "During the conceptual planning process we use it as a simple sketch for structure which we then substitute with authentic concept art."
He added, "Our studio recruits artists for their unique talent, not for their willingness to replicate what a AI generates."
Key Areas of AI Integration
Vincke had earlier broken down the company's targeted approach to this technology, defining its use into key areas:
- Handling Monotonous Jobs: This includes polishing mocap data, voice editing, and pipeline-specific tasks like retargeting animations.
- Accelerated Iteration: Using technology to rapidly prototype rough mock-ups of gameplay ideas to validate concepts ahead of full production.
- Long-Term Aspirations: Investigating how machine learning could eventually create new forms of gameplay, particularly in creating player-driven narratives in a detailed game universe.
He specifically stated that core creative disciplines — like visual art — are not departments where the team is reducing human involvement. In fact, Larian is recruiting more in these precise positions.
"Larian is not releasing a game with any AI components, nor looking at trimming down creatives to swap them out with artificial intelligence," Vincke summarized.
