Adam Smith - gamebastion.com

After reading some of the key details about 's writing process, I finally understand why every character feels so incredibly fleshed out. continues to be one of the biggest games out there even as it approaches its second birthday, and that's due in no small part to its instantly iconic cast of companions. From the loquacious and somewhat pompous Gale to the fearsome-yet-lovable Karlach, each one of the game's main characters endeared themselves to fans with their personalities and backstory.

Between cutscenes, mid-fight banter, character chatter, and reactions to things like picking locks or sneaking past enemies, each individual Origin character has thousands of lines of dialogue throughout. That requires a massive amount of writing for each character, a Herculean task for even the most talented team. However, the approach that Larian Studios chose to take when developing is one that's not only a perfect fit for a game like but also one that other games should look to emulate when it comes to developing their own characters.

Each one of the ten companions in — Lae'zel, Shadowheart, Gale, Astarion, Wyll, Karlach, Minthara, Halsin, Jaheira, and Minsc — had their own dedicated writer whose primary objective was to produce all necessary dialogue for that character. Essentially, each one of the game's main companions was hand-crafted by one writer who worked closely with that character throughout the game's entire development cycle. In an interview with , 's lead writer Adam Smith elaborated on the creative process behind bringing the game's characters to life.

In terms of the actual writing, every one of the companions has their own writer. They all have a dedicated writer, but they do a lot of other stuff as well. We don't have anyone who only does an origin, but they know them so well. At this point, they've been working with them for six years. — Adam Smith

Smith makes it clear that the entire process is a collaborative effort from start to finish between the

Adam Smith