I don't see Origin companions being that different from NPCs in BG2. Each party member had a race/class you could not change (save for duel classing), and a personal story. Cernd wanted to meet his estranged family, Keldorn had marital issues, Anomen had his sister's murder to deal with, Nalia's family estate was attacked by trolls, Mazzy's sister was poisoned, etc.
All the family drama aside, your main character had to help your chosen party members accomplish their personal goals or else they would leave. In my mind, there are a few things BG3 can do to ensure it is as successful as BG2 when it comes to party members:
#1: Have as many NPCs/Origin Companions as BG2 had (maybe more pure rogues/wizards lol).
#2: Allow companions to multi-class. For example, If I pump up Gale's strength, let me have him dip into Fighter if I want. This will allow for the customization I think most players want.
