While much of this year has been focused on big-name RPGs like the recently released Final Fantasy XVI and the upcoming Starfield, developer Larian Studio has continued to get buzz concerning their upcoming Baulder’s Gate III. Much of this press has concerned the game’s massive amount of player freedom and choice, which is something everybody wants from a game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
The romance options in particular have been singled out for having a vast amount of freedom in who you choose to pursue and how, as well as ultimately having intercourse with them. This feature was even given a large presence during their release trailer showing the player just how much impact their choices can have here. As it turns out Larian also went to great pains to make sure their actors were comfortable with filming these scenes.
During an interview with the BBC actors Jennifer English and Devora Wilde, portraying half-elf cleric Shadowheart and githyanki warrior Lae’zel respectively, gave developer Larian praise for the hiring of intimacy coordinators with English stating “I never felt ‘yuck’ in a recording session at all,” before adding “And I’ve got quite a low ‘yuck’ threshold.”
The use of intimacy coordinators has become somewhat commonplace in both film and television but has yet to find a foothold in the gaming industry despite vast amounts being spent on motion capture to bring more realistic performances, looking at you The Last of Us 2. Larian went on record stating they believe they are the first studio to use Intamacy coordinators during the development of a traditional video game. This distinction is important because 2022’s Immorality, developed by Sam Barlow, had previously employed intimacy coordinators but plays as a live-action film with a choice more than as a game itself.
Larian Studios is probably best known for their RPGs Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Original Sin II, both of which set a gold standard for their genre. Everything we are hearing about Baulder’s Gate III implies the game is poised to do the same. The game is set to receive a full release on PC on August 3rd, while a PlayStation 5 is slated for September 6th. It is also intended to release on the Xbox Series X/S however there is no release date for this version as of yet.
Don’t forget to follow me here and on Twitter to stay up to date on all things gaming!
