Larian Draws Clear Line on AI for Divinity — Fans Say This Defends RPG Craft

Larian Studios is under fire after receiving backlash over its use of AI.

The Belgian video game developer behind the multi-award-winning RPG Baldur's Gate 3 admitted to often using generative artificial intelligence (AI) for Divinity, particularly in exploring game ideas, concept art development, and writing placeholder text in a Bloomberg interview.

Baldur's Gate in 2023 put Larian Studios on the map in the gaming world.

Backlash Over AI Use

In the Bloomberg interview, Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke admitted to using generative AI tools, saying, 'I think at this point everyone at the company is more or less OK with the way we're using it.'

Its newest game, Divinity, was announced at The Game Awards last week. Vincke is denying that Divinity will have any AI-generated content, confirming that only human actors will be involved and that they will write everything themselves.

The interview received an immediate negative response from the game development community, prompting CEO Vincke to clarify his statement during the interview.

In the middle of the crossfire, some were quick to defend Larian's statement. One user on X ignited a debate over whether the use of generative AI in concept art is problematic, arguing that Vincke has been severely misunderstood in a post that has reached over 40,000 views.

The Interview Aftermath

Following the backlash, Vincke posted on X, 'We have a team of 72 artists of which 23 are concept artists and we are hiring more. The art they create is original and I'm very proud of what they do.' Furthermore, Vincke denies stating that they use Gen AI to develop concept art, and clarified that his statement was that his team uses it to 'explore things.'

'We use AI tools to explore references, just like we use google and art books. At the very early ideation stages we use it as a rough outline for composition which we replace with original concept art. There is no comparison,' Vincke's post said.

'We've hired creatives for their talent, not for their ability to do what a machine suggests, but they can experiment with these tools to make their lives easier," he added.

Before his response on X, Larian's CEO also released an interview with IGN where he reveals that their concept artists and writers continue to grow in number, and 'Everything we do is incremental and aimed at having people spend more time creating.'

Some say all his explaining only made it worse for Vincke, as it shows how little he knows about what his art teams are actually doing behind closed doors.

A former Larian employee posted on X in response to Vincke's statement, saying 'I loved working at @larianstudios.com until AI. Reconsider and change your direction, like, yesterday. show your employees some respect. They are world-class & do not need AI assistance to come up with amazing ideas.'

AI in Gaming Future

Larian's attempt to draw a clear line on AI use for its upcoming game, Divinity exposes the impact AI tools have to the creative community.

Whether or not Larian successfully reassures the gaming community that its games will steer clear of generative AI to show how creative authenticity is valued by the company, this issue will surely leave a mark in the gaming world.