‘Dragon Age: Inquisition’ Writer Explains How Bioware Created Their First Transgender Character

Expanding on Bioware’s hope to make their games as inclusive to as many groups as possible, the developer wrote and designed the first major transgendered character in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Discussing the challenges behind wanting to portray such a character with respect, Dragon Age writer Patrick Weekes detailed the multi-year process behind creating Inquisition‘s Cremisius “Krem” Aclassi.

In addition to building rich universes full of both action and lore like the world of Dragon Age: Inquisition, Bioware is often celebrated for their representations of gay and bisexual characters within their games. However, prior to the release of the newest installment of the Dragon Age franchise, the developer had never attempted to include a transgender character in any of their titles.

The desire to add a transgender person to Dragon Age: Inquisition began two years ago at a PAX event after a Bioware panel discussion. At the time, fans pointed out that the developer has never had a transgendered character in any of their games. The challenge to represent this group quickly became a goal that the team wanted to address in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

However, they didn’t want to merely add a transgendered person for no reason. Their inclusion in Dragon Age: Inquisition couldn’t feel forced or it wouldn’t have any impact. Bioware had to find the right character to make transgendered because minor characters, such as a city vendor, wouldn’t have any reason to reveal their situation naturally. The individual also had to serve a purpose beyond simply being transgendered.

“Every character in our game serves a purpose — reinforcing the theme of a plot, character, or area — and we do not have the budget for someone who is just there to tick off a box.”

The solution came when it was time to create Iron Bull’s lieutenant, Krem. Weekes knew that the Qunari mercenary’s second-in-command could easily fit that role. Players would have a reason to get to become familiar with Krem’s character as they interacted with Bull’s Chargers inside Dragon Age: Inquisition. The fact that he was transgendered was actually secondary to his work as a mercenary.

After Bioware had selected their choice of which character to be presented as transgendered, the developer then faced a new set of technical challenges. Dragon Age: Inquisition‘s engine is based on gender specifics for each model that includes categories such as what voices and animations are available to each character. To make Krem work in game, members from several teams had to come together to design new facial animations so that his model would properly synch with his frame.

Weekes revealed that the team also took careful consideration when writing Krem’s dialogue to ensure that nothing came out with an unintended double meaning that could be taken out of context. If they were going to add a transgendered character to Dragon Age: Inquisition, they didn’t want it to feel inappropriate in any way.

However, Krem isn’t actually a full companion in Dragon Age: Inquisition, so players can actually fight alongside the mercenary lieutenant during their adventures. This also means that fans won’t miss out on any of Krem’s conversations since he won’t be affected by a known bug that is suppressing party banter. As the Inquisitr previously reported, it has already announced that the issue with companion chatter won’t be resolved in the game’s first patch that is expected to be available soon. Dragon Age creative director Mike Laidlaw did confirm, however, that the annoying bug that can alter the voice of the title’s protagonist will likely be addressed in the coming update.

Since the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition, Bioware has been applauded for their representation of the transgendered community with their depiction of Krem.

[Image via the Bioware Blog]