When Larian Studios teased their return to the Divinity universe, something weird happened: people started buying other Larian games.
Not just a few people. According to studio boss Swen Vincke, the announcement sparked "incredible" sales bumps for both Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2.
Think about that for a second. A teaser for an unannounced game drove people to buy a different franchise's titles. That's not normal.
But it makes perfect sense when you understand what Larian has built: trust.
Most studios operate on hype cycles. They announce a game, show a cinematic trailer with no gameplay, slap a release date on it, and start pre-selling deluxe editions. The actual quality? We'll find out at launch. Maybe.
Larian does the opposite. They ship complete games. They don't nickel-and-dime you with battle passes or season passes. They patch aggressively. They listen to feedback.
Baldur's Gate 3 is the perfect example. It spent years in early access, getting shaped by community input. When it finally launched, it wasn't just good - it was transcendent. Game of the Year at every major awards show. Over 10 million copies sold. A genuine cultural phenomenon.
And now, when Larian says "we're going back to Divinity," people don't wait to see reviews. They don't wait for the Steam sale. They go now and buy the studio's back catalog because they know it'll be worth it.
That's the kind of goodwill you can't buy with marketing budgets.
For context: Divinity: Original Sin 2 is a masterpiece. It's the game that proved Larian could make genuinely great RPGs before BG3 turned them into household names. It's also if you don't understand the systems, but in the best possible way.
