• Early Development: Larian signed the Baldur’s Gate 3 contract before Divinity: Original Sin 2 even launched, writing the "very bad" first draft in Summer 2017.
  • Hidden Foreshadowing: References to mind flayers in D:OS2 were toned down from "explicit" to opaque hints involving "mind-feeding" beings and "plotting octopuses."
  • The "Tav" Origin: The default protagonist name in BG3 stems from "Project Gustav," the game's internal codename named after CEO Swen Vincke’s dog.
  • Trans-Dimensional Cameos: The necromancer Tarquin from Divinity officially crossed over into the Forgotten Realms under the anagram "Marco Creenn."

The Secret History of the BG3 Contract

In a recent stream of Divinity: Original Sin 2, Larian CEO Swen Vincke dropped a bombshell for those of us who track the studio's meteoric rise. It turns out the ink was dry on the Baldur’s Gate 3 deal long before D:OS2 hit shelves. While we were all busy worrying about the meta in the Blackpits, Swen and his team were already sweating over a Wizards of the Coast deadline.

"We did it very last-minute because we actually, in the summer when D:OS2 shipped, we wrote the first draft of BG3 because we had a contract with Wizards of the Coast and we needed to do it then," Vincke admitted. His blunt assessment of that initial script? "It was very bad." This level of transparency is exactly why we respect Larian; they aren't afraid to admit that even a Game of the Year masterpiece starts as a rough—or in this case, "very bad"—draft.

Connecting the Dots: From Mind Maggots to Mind Flayers

For years, veteran players suspected D:OS2 was hiding hints about Larian's next big move. We were right. Originally, these nods were meant to be "very explicit," but the team eventually pulled back to keep the mystery alive. Our take? The subtler approach worked better for the long-term lore hunt.

Key Easter Eggs Identified:

  • The Necromancer’s Insight: Tarquin speaks of "beings that feed on minds" and a language called "Gustavchen."
  • Fane’s Epilogue: Everyone’s favorite undead scholar mentions that "octopuses are secretly plotting"—a clear wink at the Illithid threat.
  • Biological Clues: Those jars of "mind maggots" scattered throughout Rivellon? Retroactively, those look like the direct precursors to the tadpoles that define the BG3 experience.

The Legend of "Tav" and Project Gustav

Every BG3 player knows "Tav," the default name that has launched a thousand memes. The technical reality is far more wholesome. The internal codename for BG3 was "Project Gustav," named after Swen Vincke’s dog. The language Tarquin mentions—"Gustavchen"—is a direct linguistic bridge between the two franchises. It’s a classic Larian move: embedding internal dev culture directly into the world-building.

Tarquin’s Worldhopping Adventure

The crossover isn't just one-way. We’ve confirmed that Tarquin, the dimension-hopping necromancer, successfully made the jump to the Forgotten Realms. In Baldur’s Gate 3, sharp-eyed players found notes referencing a "Tuqueen" and a mysterious figure named "Marco Creenn." For those who haven't run the letters through a cipher: Marco Creenn is a direct anagram for "Necromancer."

Larian is currently pivoting back to the Divinity universe for their next project, codenamed "Alligator." Given their track record for interconnected storytelling, we’ll be keeping a very close eye on the "flammable oil fields" of their next game for any hints of what’s coming after that. If there’s one thing this report confirms, it’s that Larian plays the long game.