At a conference that took place this week in England, former Larian Studios writer Baudelaire Welch shared insights as to why the bear romance scene in 2023's game of the year, Baldur's Gate 3, became a pivotal moment in the gaming industry.
Baldur's Gate 3 Bear Romance Scene a Monumental Gaming MomentBG3 Players Wanted Daddy Halsin and They Got It
Baudelaire Welch, former Larian Studios writer and Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3) companion narrative lead, proudly described BG3's sex scene with the character Halsin in his bear form as a "watershed moment in game history." Welch additionally praised BG3 developer, Larian Studios, for recognizing and validating the wishes of the game's fanfiction community, a move the writer said was unprecedented of game studios.
In BG3, players have the option to romance Halsin, a druid capable of transforming into a bear. Though intended for combat purposes, Halsin's bear-transforming ability evolved into a romantic element that showed Halsin's struggles to maintain his human form during intensely emotionally-charged moments. Welch shared that this concept wasn’t part of the initial plan for Halsin, but rather emerged from the game’s fanfiction community.
Fanfictions are fan-created fictional works based on certain shows, movies, games, and other forms of entertainment. The game's fanfic community was clear about what they wanted, and what they wanted was "daddy Halsin," Welch explained to Eurogamer in a follow-up interview. "I don't think there were specific plans for him to be a love interest," Welch said in addition.
During their presentation, Welch discussed the important role fanfiction has in sustaining a game's community. "Romance is one of the longest-tail parts of a fandom you can create," Welch said. "People will write about a good romance in fanfiction for years to come."
Welch pointed out that discussions around fan-created content often keep the game's community engaged long after the main storylines have concluded and fans have stopped playing the game. This community, Welch added, is particularly appealing to women and LGBTQIA+ players, who have been instrumental in the collective hype for BG3 since its launch nearly a year ago.
"This scene feels like a watershed moment in game history where the fanfiction community feels like they're not a subculture but are the majority audience being catered to in a scene and in the game as a whole," Welch stated.
Bear Romance Scene Was Supposed to be a Gag
The idea of Halsin's bear transformation in romantic contexts started as a humorous off-screen gag. However, as studio founder Swen Vincke and senior writer John Corcoran developed Halsin’s character further, they decided to elevate this concept into a significant element of his romance storyline.
"The specifically turning into a bear thing was originally meant to be a gag that took place off screen in another scene that I pitched, because I didn't think that it would ever go anywhere," Welch revealed, "but then Swen [Vincke] and John [Corcoran], who's writing Halsin - as they were writing more major love scenes - were like, 'Oh, let's bring this idea forward and let's escalate it and make it a main thing for this character.'"
