Larian Studios is using generative-AI tools during parts of the new Divinity RPG’s development—but the studio says that does not mean AI will create the finished game’s art or writing.
Larian Studios has acknowledged testing generative-AI tools while developing its new Divinity RPG—but that does not mean the studio is having AI create the finished game’s art, dialogue, or journal entries.
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The most accurate reading of Larian CEO Swen Vincke’s comments is narrower: the studio has evaluated generative AI for internal experimentation, including exploring ideas, preparing presentations, developing concepts, and producing placeholder text. After those comments prompted backlash, Larian clarified that Divinity will contain no GenAI art, and that generative text is not being used for the game’s writing.
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That leaves a meaningful distinction between using AI during development and shipping AI-generated creative content. Larian says it is doing the former while ruling out the latter for the publicly described categories of Divinity‘s finished content.
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What Larian actually said about AI and Divinity
The story unfolded in several stages, and the dates matter because Larian’s public position became more specific over time.
December 12, 2025: Larian announces a new Divinity
Larian revealed a new RPG in its long-running Divinity franchise on December 12, 2025. It is a new project from the team behind Baldur’s Gate 3, not a re-release of Divinity: Original Sin 2.
December 16, 2025: AI comments cause backlash
In a Bloomberg interview reported on December 16, Vincke described ways Larian was experimenting with generative-AI tools. The examples included exploring ideas, fleshing out PowerPoint presentations, developing concept art, and writing placeholder text.
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There is an important factual qualification, however. A placeholder, an internal presentation, or an exploratory mood-board image is not automatically a shipped game asset. Such material can still influence a team’s workflow—and therefore raise legitimate ethical and labor questions—but it is different from claiming that AI generated the final art or writing that players will see.
December 2025: Larian addresses replacement and shipping concerns
Larian subsequently rejected the idea that it was replacing its creative staff with AI. Its response emphasized the continued involvement of writers, artists, performers, translators, and other human developers. The studio also said it was not releasing a game with AI components or cutting teams in order to replace them with AI.
That response should be treated as Larian’s own statement rather than independent verification of every part of its production process. The clearer, more detailed position came later, in the studio’s January 9, 2026 Reddit AMA.
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The January 9, 2026 AMA is the clearest current position
During the AMA, Vincke directly addressed the confusion around AI-assisted concept exploration. He said there would be no GenAI art in Divinity. He also said Larian would stop using generative-AI tools during concept-art development so there could be no ambiguity about where the game’s art originated.
That is stronger than saying “AI will not be used for final art.” It describes a decision to remove generative AI from the concept-art stage as well, at least under the policy Larian publicly described on January 9.
Larian’s writing leadership supplied a separate clarification: generative text was not being used for Divinity‘s dialogue, journal entries, or other writing. A limited group had tested text-generation tools, but the results were considered poor and the experiments were characterized as research rather than production material.
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At the same time, Vincke did not announce a complete ban on AI research. Larian was continuing to test generative AI across departments because faster iteration could help with gameplay experimentation and reduce wasted effort. In other words, the studio’s position is not “AI is forbidden everywhere.” It is closer to: we may investigate the technology internally, but GenAI will not supply the creative content we ship in Divinity under the stated policy.
Internal experimentation is not the same as AI-made game content
| Question | What the available statements support |
|---|---|
| Has Larian experimented with generative AI? | Yes. Larian has described testing tools across parts of its development workflow. |
| What uses were publicly discussed? | Idea exploration, presentation development, concept-art exploration, and placeholder text. |
| Will Divinity contain GenAI art? | Larian says no, and says it will refrain from using GenAI during concept-art development. |
| Is generative AI writing the dialogue or journals? | Larian’s writing leadership says no. Generated text was tested as research, not used for the game’s writing. |
| Has Larian completely abandoned AI research? | No. The AMA left room for continued internal testing across departments. |
| Has Larian replaced artists or writers with AI? | The studio says it is not using AI as a plan to replace its creative teams. The available record does not independently verify every employee’s experience. |
This distinction matters because “Larian is using AI to make Divinity” can mean several different things. If it means the studio has used AI tools somewhere in the development process, the claim is supported. If it means AI is generating the game’s final illustrations, dialogue, or journal content, it goes beyond what Larian has said—and conflicts with the January AMA’s specific assurances.
Why the clarification does not end the controversy
Excluding generated assets from the finished game addresses one concern, but not every concern associated with generative AI in a development pipeline.
- Training-data consent: Developers and artists may object to tools trained on work whose creators did not consent to that use.
- Authorship and attribution: Even temporary generated material can affect decisions about style, composition, or written ideas, creating questions about who contributed to a result.
- Labor and workflow norms: Internal experimentation can change expectations about how quickly artists, writers, or designers should work, even if no generated asset ships.
- Transparency: Players and staff may want to know whether AI was used as reference, brainstorming material, or production support—not only whether an AI-generated file appears in the final build.
Those are broader industry questions, not proof that every Larian developer opposed the experiments or that the studio violated a particular creator’s rights. The available evidence documents Larian’s public statements; it does not independently settle the ethical debate or establish what every employee encountered internally.
What has not been established yet
The current reporting does not prove that every internal AI experiment at Larian has ended. It also does not prove that no AI-assisted reference was ever seen by a developer before the policy was clarified. Policies can change during a long production, so the January 9 position should be understood as the studio’s clearest public commitment at that point, not as a guarantee that can never be revised before release.
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There is also no established release date, preorder, physical edition, or current retail listing for the upcoming Divinity in the supplied information. Claims that a particular edition is available to buy should therefore be checked at publication time.
What this means for players
For now, players can reasonably take away four points:
- Larian has tested generative-AI tools during development.
- The studio has described those tests as internal experimentation, including ideation, presentations, and placeholders.
- Larian says Divinity will not use GenAI art and that it will not use GenAI during concept-art development.
- Larian’s writing leadership says generative text is not being used for dialogue, journal entries, or other game writing, while broader AI research continues.
So the headline is directionally correct only if “using AI” refers to experimentation in the development process. It is misleading if it suggests that Larian has announced an AI-generated Divinity or replaced the human creators responsible for the game’s content.
Bottom line
Larian is not claiming to have abandoned generative AI altogether. It is evaluating the technology as an internal research and productivity tool, even after the backlash to its December comments. But the studio has also drawn a public boundary around the new Divinity: no GenAI art, no generative-AI concept-art development going forward, and—according to its writing leadership—no generated dialogue, journal entries, or other writing.
The precise summary is therefore: Larian tested generative AI in parts of its workflow, then clarified that AI-generated creative content will not be used in the finished Divinity under its stated policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Larian has tested generative-AI tools during development for activities such as idea exploration, presentations, concept exploration, and placeholder text. However, the studio says the finished game will not use GenAI art or generative text for dialogue, journal entries, or other writing.
Is Larian using AI to make the new Divinity game?
Larian CEO Swen Vincke said on January 9, 2026, that there would be no GenAI art in Divinity. He also said the studio would stop using generative AI during concept-art development to avoid ambiguity about the art’s origin.
Will the upcoming Divinity contain AI-generated art?
No. Larian’s stated position leaves room for testing generative AI across departments as an internal research or productivity technology. The restriction described publicly is focused on creative content intended for the finished game.
Is Larian banning AI completely?
Divinity: Original Sin 2 – Definitive Edition is Larian’s previous RPG in the franchise. It is a separate, already released game with turn-based combat, party play, co-op, and mod support.
What can I play while waiting for the new Divinity?
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Larian is experimenting with generative AI internally, but says the upcoming Divinity will contain no GenAI art and no AI-generated dialogue, journal entries, or other writing. That is a restriction on shipped creative content—not a complete ban on internal AI research.
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