David Gaider has left Beamdog

It was big news when David Gaider joined Beamdog in early 2016. Gaider has design credits on BioWare RPGs including Baldur's Gate 2, KOTOR, and Neverwinter Nights, and was the lead writer on the Dragon Age series from Origin to Inquisition; Beamdog, after releasing enhanced editions of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, was working on a new Baldur's Gate chapter called Siege of Dragonspear.   

It wasn't the most obviously fruitful relationship ever: Gaider isn't credited on Siege of Dragonspear or Planescape: Torment Enhanced Edition, the only other game Beamdog has released since his arrival, and Neverwinter Nights was only revealed to the world a few months ago. Nonetheless, Gaider announced on Twitter today that that he's moving on to other things. 

Beamdog hinted in a farewell message that much of Gaider's work remains hidden behind the scenes. "Dave came to Beamdog during interesting times. Since then, he has been teacher, mentor, and friend to many on the team," the studio wrote. "We’ve seen Dave conjure new worlds we’d love to play in, and spin stories in places already close to our hearts. Someday we will share the fruits of his labour!"

"Most lasting, Dave has built a creative team that will shape the stories Beamdog tells in the years to come. He has freely shared his incredible wealth of storytelling and narrative design experience with the developers, designers, and artists around him. We’ve all learned a lot from Dave and we hope he picked up a trick or two from us as well. "

Beamdog co-founder Trent Oster said Gaider's departure has been in the works for awhile, so the impact on current projects will be minimal. "Dave was a valued member of our team and has done a lot of great work for us over the last two years," Oster said. "While we're sad to see Dave go, we are anxious to step up and show how we have grown as a studio and as a team."