GDC 2025: How to Make Compelling RPG Companions

Some of video games most famous companions: Chloe, Parvati, Garrus, Shadowheart, Atreus, and Ellie. Oftentimes an RPG becomes a classic because its companions are iconic: whether it's Garrus from Mass Effect or Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3, the characters with whom a player spends several hours often come to define the game's success. There are unique and particular challenges in creating companions on nearly every project, and I felt it was time to share what I had learned over the years with others.

I felt the right venue for this particular topic was GDC, so I turned to my old narrative lead, friend, and one of my favorite collaborators, Kate Dollarhyde to help formulate the talk. I met Kate during my time at Obsidian Entertainment, and her work on companions at the studio has resonated with players all over the world. Most notably she did extensive work on Parvati Holcomb in The Outer Worlds, a character that was a breakout favorite among players in 2019.

Together Kate and I spent hours over the course of several months breaking down how companions work in preparation for this talk. As a result of those discussions, a theoretical framework for RPG companions emerged for three different types of RPG companion design: partner-based, party-based, and hybrid.

Our slide deck is free to access on the GDC Vault, and those with vault access can also view the live recording of the talk itself. The slide deck is also available here for download:

Designing Relationships: How to Make Compelling RPG Companions By Kate Dollarhyde and Lis Moberly

Designing Relationships: How to Make Compelling RPG Companions _Dollarhyde and Moberly.

Download • 7.01MB