Larian's big Q&A session on how it's using AI to help make its next game is happening tomorrow on Reddit

Following what you might call a sub-optimal response to its apparent enthusiasm for the use of AI in game development, Larian boss Swen Vincke promised an AMA in January to clarify where exactly the studio stands on the matter. A message on X has now nailed that little online tête-à-tête down to 5 am PT/8 am ET/2 pm CET on January 9, on Reddit.

That's pretty early, at least in my part of the world, but bear in mind that Larian is not based in my part of the world but in Ghent, Belgium, where the whole thing can go down after a nice extended lunch.

But, perhaps because they didn't come in the wake of a major game reveal, those comments went relatively unnoticed and didn't cause nearly the stir the post-Game Awards interview did. Vincke tried to smooth the waters with a strategic F-bomb deployment on X, but rather than getting caught up in extended beefing he quickly announced the AMA, promising to be fully transparent on how exactly Larian does and does not use AI.

You can't put too much stock into what anyone says on social media, and particularly X, but the responses to the AMA timing announcement are interesting. Questions about generative AI in Larian's development processes are largely absent—instead, people are asking about Divinity itself: Whether it will feature turn-based or RTWP combat, how it will relative to the rest of the series, whether it will have cinematic cutscenes on the scale of Baldur's Gate 3, and of course how much "romance" there will be.

The odds of any of those questions being satisfactorily answered are pretty much nil, but hey, shoot your shot, I guess. To see what Larian actually is willing to talk about at this point, head over to the r/Games subreddit at the appointed hour—that is, 5 am PT/8 am ET/2 pm CET—tomorrow.

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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.

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