Baldur’s Gate III‘s romantic scenes used an intimacy coordinator hired by developer Larian Studios, ensuring actors felt comfortably during more intimate performances.
Speaking with the BBC, Lae ‘zel performer Devora Wilde said that Larian took in coordinators to aid with the romantics scenes, something which she was pleased with. For those unaware, an intimacy coordinator 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.”
Intimacy coordinators are becoming much more prominent in the film and TV industry these days, but are less common in video game productions. Larian has said that it is one of the first developers to include them in the development process.
Speaking on the process, Jennifer English, who plays Shadowheart in Baldur’s Gate III, revealed that Larian never allowed things to go too far during filming.
“I never felt ‘yuck’ in a recording session at all,” said English, observing she has “quite a low ‘yuck’ threshold”. “It just shows you how crazy in the best possible way this game is.”
Baldur’s Gate III is scheduled for release on September 6, 2023 for PS5 and PC.