Baudelaire Welch

Senior Game Designer

BAFTA/Hugo/Nebula Award winning game writer

Hi! I’m Baudelaire (they/them) - Beau for short!

I’m an award-winning narrative specialist with experience in leadership and generalist game design.

I’ve worked in design roles at Larian Studios, Paradox Interactive, Half Mermaid, Failbetter Games, Choice of Games, and even secured funding to direct my own game project.

Email me at baudelairewelch@gmail.com

Lead Companion Narrative Designer on Baldur’s Gate 3

I worked as the narrative design feature lead for companions and romances, collaborating with writers to design character quests.

Additionally, I was the sole writer for the Dark Urge, and wrote extensively for Astarion.

Game Designer on Crusader Kings 3

Worked as a generalist game designer doing direct implementation work (scripting, systems design, narrative) on Crusader Kings 3.

Design Director for a UK-Government funded indie game

Pitched for, acquired, and managed a £30,000 prototype grant awarded by the UK government.

Supervised a team of 3 employees for a 6 month period to develop a pixel art retro gothic horror game prototype.

Senior Narrative Designer at Half Mermaid

Currently working with Game Director Sam Barlow and Film Director Brandon Cronenberg to develop two experimental psychological horror games at the company behind Her Story and Immortality.

Adventure Writer for Fallen London

Currently commissioned to contribute a self-contained ‘Exceptional Story’ expansion module for Fallen London

Solo developer of Don’t Wake Me Up, a cyberpunk game on the theme: ‘What if RPG companions were sentient and aware of the way players treat them?’, a subversive study of interactive relationships, released by the publisher Choice of Games.

Interactive Fiction Developer for Choice of Games

Conference Lecturer

For games conventions, conferences and universities, I’ve given lectures primarily histories of under-studied design elements in games.

Consultant and Mentor

I provide indie studios with courses of mentoring for their junior developers, and also do sessions of full-project design audit.

BAFTA Judge

I’m a full Voting Member of BAFTA Games. This involves annually reviewing dozens of longlisted games to determine award winners, keeping me on the pulse of the exceptional new developments in the industry.

An Eye for Optical Theory

A short historical horror game I directed, inspired by Isaac Newton’s experiments during the 1666 plague lockdown.

In my free time I enjoy reviewing films, LARP, writing fanfiction, and dressing like Oscar Wilde on a daily basis.

Some of my favorite games of all time are the Mass Effect Trilogy, Red Dead Redemption 2, Dark Souls, 80 Days, Simon the Sorcerer, Dungeon Master (1987), the Discworld point and click adventure, Hypnospace Outlaw, and basically everything made in the Infinity Engine.

I studied English Literature at the University of Oxford, and spent a lot of my time there as an editor in the Cherwell newspaper office.