The studio behind acclaimed titles like Baldur's Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin recently shown its new project, creating significant anticipation within the industry. However, recent statements from the company's figurehead have introduced a new dimension to the narrative, addressing the developer's stance toward AI tools.
AI as a Creative Assistant, Not a Substitute
In a recent clarification, Swen Vincke explained that the team is utilizing generative AI for particular supporting tasks. These include fleshing out presentation materials, producing early-stage visual ideas, and creating draft copy.
Crucially, Vincke made clear that the final assets in the game will be created exclusively by human artists. "Our team is writing everything manually," he said.
Our studio is constantly increasing our roster of storytellers and are actively assembling writing teams.
As this area is being particularly mentioned — we right now have over twenty visual developers and have job openings for more artists.
Each initiative we do is supplementary and focused on letting our team spend greater focus on actual creation.
Every AI system used well is supplementary to a creative team routine, not a replacement for their talent.
Responding to Feedback and Defining the Path
The admission of using AI at first generated concern among some the player base. In reaction, Vincke provided further detail on social media.
"At Larian, we employ AI tools to gather inspiration, similar to we use the internet and physical media," he explained. "In the initial brainstorming phase we use it as a simple sketch for structure which we then substitute with hand-crafted concept art."
He noted, "We've hired creatives for their unique talent, not for their ability to execute what a machine suggests."
Key Areas of AI Integration
Vincke had in the past detailed the studio's targeted method to AI and ML, grouping its use into primary areas:
- Handling Monotonous Jobs: Areas like refining animations, dialogue cleanup, and technical processes like adapting animations for different models.
- Accelerated Iteration: Using tools to rapidly prototype simple models of mechanics to validate concepts ahead of full development.
- Future Potential for Gameplay: Investigating how machine learning could one day facilitate new forms of player agency, especially in managing unforeseen permutations in a complex RPG.
He clearly stated that central narrative disciplines — like visual art — are are absolutely not fields where the team is replacing creative input. On the contrary, Larian is expanding its staff in these exact roles.
"Our studio is neither shipping a game with AI-generated content, and we are certainly not planning on trimming down staff to swap them out with AI," Vincke summarized.
