BALDUR'S GATE 3 Director Pushes For a Motion Capture Category at Game Awards as Performers “Disappear” From Credit
The conversation around honoring motion capture artists in the gaming industry has been gaining momentum, and Baldur’s Gate 3 is once again at the center of it.
Following a wave of support sparked by recent award nominations, the RPG’s performance director Aliona Baranova is urging major award shows to finally recognize mocap performers with their own category.
This kicked off when Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 actor Charlie Cox reacted to his Best Performance nomination at The Game Awards 2025 by shifting praise to the performer behind his character’s physicality, saying "any credit I get" should go to Maxence Cazorla, the mocap actor who shaped so much of the role.
That comment set off a chain of responses throughout the community. Red Dead Redemption’s Roger Clark voiced his agreement and Baranova, who not only directed performances on Baldur’s Gate 3 but also performed motion capture and voiced Corinna the squirrel, echoed the call for a dedicated motion capture award.
Speaking with VGC, Baranova expanded on why she believes this needs to happen. "It needs to happen. I posted about it online the other day, and some people were questioning like, 'how would we do it?'"
She added that the logistics are not her responsibility. "They can figure it out. We need to do it because there are these fantastic mocap performances going on."
Baranova then highlighted a long running issue within the industry. "It's been decades of actors going in, doing the mocap, and then someone else's voice is popped on top, and those mocap performers just disappear… Nobody knows about them."
It’s a process that often blends multiple talents together, yet the physical actor behind the movement rarely gets proper visibility. Actors like Clair Obscur and Baldur’s Gate 3 star Jennifer English have spoken up about this blend of responsibilities, explaining that she avoids the term voice actor because of the extensive work that goes into shaping a character long before recording lines.
This conversation mirrors another long overdue recognition fight. For years the Oscars faced calls to acknowledge stunt work in the same way, since stunt teams shape the action storytelling that blockbusters depend on.
After a generation of debate, the Academy will finally introduce the Best Stunt Design award in 2028, proving these long ignored crafts can eventually earn their place on the big stage.
The push for mocap recognition feels just as vital. For anyone curious about how deep this craft goes, the live action cutscene previs included as a bonus in Devil May Cry 5 is a great example. It showcases just how many people collaborate on a performance before the voice booth ever comes into play.
As games continue to evolve, so do the artists who bring them to life. Baranova and others are making sure that the people behind the digital performances in games like Baldur’s Gate 3 and beyond finally get the spotlight they deserve.