Baldur's Gate 3 romantic scenes used intimacy coordinators
Larian believes it's one of the first studios do so.
Baldur's Gate 3 developer Larian hired intimacy coordinators to ensure its actors felt safe and comfortable during romantic scenes.
In an interview with BBC, actor Devora Wilde - who plays githyanki warrior Lae'zel in the upcoming release - revealed the studio had hired the coordinators, saying she was pleased at this decision.
An intimacy coordinator or director is "a choreographer, an advocate for actors, and a liaison between actors and production for scenes that involve nudity / hyper-exposed work, simulated sex acts, and/or intimate physical contact," according to idcprofessionals.com.
Their presence on set has become more prominent in recent years, particularly for film and TV productions. Numerous actors, including Tomb Raider's Alicia Vikander, have spoken about the importance of intimacy coordinators during recording, noting how vital it is for boundaries to be recognised during the artistic process.
Despite this increased awareness on film and TV, the presence of intimacy coordinators on video game productions is less common. Larian believes its one of the first to do this, and while it's unclear which game originated the practice, Immortality definitely used them. Larian now hopes others will follow suit.
Speaking further on some of the upcoming game's content, fellow Baldur's Gate 3 actor Jennifer English - who plays half-elf cleric Shadowheart - said the studio never took things too far during filming.
"I never felt 'yuck' in a recording session at all," she told the publication, admitting she has "quite a low 'yuck' threshold".
The actors also addressed the recent revelation that in Baldur's Gate 3, players will be able to make love as or with a human character that has shapeshifted into bear. This reveal reportedly got Larian temporarily banned from the social media app TikTok, something Wilde found quite amusing
"It just shows you how crazy in the best possible way this game is," she said, reflecting on the bear scene.
Baldur's Gate 3 is set to launch on 3rd August for PC. Meanwhile, the game's PlayStation 5 version will launch slightly later - directly up against Starfield on 6th September.
On its release, Baldur's Gate 3 will include seven playable protagonists, 11 playable races, 12 classes and 46 subclasses. Over 600 spells and actions (excluding upcasts) are also included, compared to Larian's Divinity: Original Sin 2's 225 player spells and actions.
For more on the game, be sure to check out Bertie's interview with Larian founder Swen Vincke, for discussion on the studio's history and Baldur's Gate 3's origins.