Divinity studio explains why it's returning to Kickstarter for Original Sin 2

The big news of the day, at least for old-school RPG junkies such as myself, is that Divinity: Original Sin 2 will soon be coming to Kickstarter. But why, you may wonder, does it need a Kickstarter at all? The original Original Sin more than doubled its goal of $400,000, was a critical hit, and for a PC-exclusive RPG it sold like gangbusters too. So why does Larian need the money up front?

Part of the reason, studio founder Swen Vincke explained in a blog post, is creative rather than financial. "Divinity: Original Sin wouldn’t be the game it was without the input from our Kickstarter backers & Steam Early Access players. There were a lot of them and they pushed us forwards in directions we hadn’t anticipated when we started development," he wrote. "To this day, our entire team is incredibly grateful for this. Our community was a critical factor for the success of the game."

Of course, money is a consideration as well. Vincke said the studio's investment in Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition "is beyond what most would consider reasonable," but that it's done so not just so it could "perfect" the game, but because it's laying the groundwork for Original Sin 2.

"We have the budget to do cool stuff already, but what we’ll be doing is something we can really take very far. How far will depend on how our Kickstarter campaign fares," he continued. "Perhaps we’ll even be able to do very cool stuff—all the money we’ll hopefully raise with Kickstarter will be put on top of what we’re investing already to make the game better. The same scenario essentially as with the original D:OS."

The Divinity: Original Sin 2 Kickstarter will kick off on August 26. In the meantime, you may make suggestions for backer rewards, and vote for suggestions already made, at Larian's Uservoice page.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.