Skip to main content

Larian studios returning to Kickstarter for ‘bigger, better’ Divinity: Original Sin 2

Divinity: Original Sin 2 box art
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Divinity: Original Sin hit Kickstarter in March 2013, and while it was initially lumped in with other Kickstarter RPG revivals like Pillars of Eternity and Torment: Tides of Numenera as another one of “those games,” it held its own and was well received by gamers and critics alike.

Now developer Larian Studios is returning to Kickstarter for the sequel. Divinity: Original Sin 2 will kick off its Kickstarter campaign on August 26. This time, Larian wants the fans to be even more involved, starting even before the campaign officially begins.

“On August 26th we’ll be returning to Kickstarter with Divinity: Original Sin 2, but you don’t have to wait to have your say. We’ll want a lot of feedback as we progress, and right now we want to know what YOU want from the Kickstarter campaign,” the sequel announcement reads. “Head over to our Divinity: Original Sin 2 page to suggest what rewards you’d like to see, and vote on the rewards that others have suggested!”

Current fan-suggested stretch goals and rewards including a day/night cycle, more playable races, a Kickstarter collector’s edition, and more. The most votes at the time of this writing have gone to a suggested “adult mode,” which would include “extra gore, extra nudity, and extra profanity.” Another suggestion, early bird pricing discounts, has already been planned by the developer.

The Kickstarter campaign may not have yet begun, but apparently Larian has already been hard at work on the game. A playable prototype of Divinity: Original Sin 2 is set to appear at Larian’s booth at PAX Prime later this month.

For those wondering why Larian would tackle a sequel when Divinity: Original Sin Enhanced Edition is still in development, there’s a good reason. “The work that is being done on D:OS EE would in any case still have had to be done for D:OS,” Larian founder Sven Vincke wrote in a blog post yesterday, adding that “all the money we’re investing in D:OS EE is also investment in the tech that’s powering D:OS 2. And the tech can do a lot.”

For more details and a link to the Kickstarter campaign when it goes live, see the Divinity: Original Sin 2 website.

Editors' Recommendations

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
The Nintendo Switch just got 2 surprise games — and they’re both worth grabbing
A teddy beat sits on an embroidery hoop in Stitch.

If you were unable to catch this week's Nintendo IndieWorld showcase, then you missed a surprisingly loaded show. Lorelei and the Laser Eyes got a May release date, WayForward showed off its Yars' Revenge revival, and Steamworld Heist 2 got an exciting reveal. In the midst of all those headlines, two smaller games were surprise released on the platform: Stitch and Sticky Business. Don't sleep on either of them, as they're both worth a purchase.

Both games are ports of previously released games, but both went a bit under the radar upon their original launch. Sticky Business modestly launched last summer on PC, whereas Stitch has actually been around since 2022 as an Apple Arcade exclusive. The latter even has an Apple Vision Pro version now that can be played in mixed reality. I can't blame anyone for missing either, but their Switch releases offer a good opportunity to catch up with some quiet hidden gems.

Read more
Is this Razer’s Steam Deck killer?
The Razer Kishi Ultra sitting on a table.

Razer has been oddly quiet in the burgeoning world of handheld gaming PCs. When I met up with the company at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) to learn about its new products, I was happy to hear it had an answer to the success of the Steam Deck.

But it was not the type of answer I was expecting.

Read more
The best iPhone emulators
A collage of the delta emulator.

The market for iPhone games has become so wide and diverse that it can realistically compete with most console and PC offerings. Where we once only got cheap time-wasters, we now have complete experiences that don't feel any less impressive than what the competition offers. In fact, a lot of games made for consoles are appearing on the iPhone now that it is becoming so powerful. However, older games have paradoxically been mostly absent from the app store. That all could be about to change as emulation is now allowed on iPhone, though with some caveats that any retro fan should know about before getting too excited to play all your favorite NES games on your phone. Here's what's up with iPhone emulators, as well as our picks for a few of the best ones you can get right now.
What you need to know about emulation on iPhone
Emulators on iPhone, as well as emulation in general, are in a strange legal gray zone. Previously, the only way to get an emulator on your iPhone was through some workarounds that generally involved jailbreaking your phone, That differs from Android, which has enjoyed native emulators for years. In 2024, Apple updated its App Store guidelines to allow for emulators on its store, but with some important restrictions.

Here's the exact wording: "Apps may offer certain software that is not embedded in the binary, specifically HTML5 mini apps and mini games, streaming games, chatbots, and plug-ins. Additionally, retro game console emulator apps can offer to download games. You are responsible for all such software offered in your app, including ensuring that such software complies with these guidelines and all applicable laws. Software that does not comply with one or more guidelines will lead to the rejection of your app. You must also ensure that the software adheres to the additional rules that follow in 4.7.1 and 4.7.5. These additional rules are important to preserve the experience that App Store customers expect, and to help ensure user safety."

Read more