Once fabled developer BioWare has lost its luster recently. After Mass Effect’s commercial and critical failures: Andromeda and Anthem, the once famed RPG maker, has fallen from grace.
Jason Schreier had two deep dives that went over the troubles BioWare faced during the development of Andromeda and Anthem. Despite announcing a new Dragon Age and Mass Effect game, it’s still been a rough couple of years. Recently, Matt Goldman, the senior creative director for the Dragon Age franchise, left the company.
Gary McKay, the new General Manager of the studio, wrote a blog post considering the studio’s plans for the future. One highlight is the ability for anyone to work remotely without having to relocate to either Austin, Texas, or Edmonton, Alberta. “We’re looking for new talent from anywhere in North America, and we’ll meet them where they live.”
McKay also highlights the newest release from BioWare: Legacy of the Sith, the latest expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic, on February 15th. He also teases what’s next for both Mass Effect and Dragon Age. It was here that he began talking about the company’s future.
When I took on the GM role, I talked about rebuilding our reputation, and that remains a huge priority. We are laser-focused on building back the trust of our fans and community, and we plan to do that by delivering the types of games that we are best known for and ensuring they are of the highest quality. Our mission is to “Create worlds of adventure, conflict, and companionship that inspire you to become the hero of your story.” We want the launch of our games to be seminal moments in the industry. We want each game to earn the kind of reaction we’ve seen with Mass Effect Legendary Edition. We feel that we have the right people, the right creative focus, and the support from EA to deliver on the promise.
Source: State of BioWare
There is good news on the horizon for BioWare and Mass Effect fans: the next game is being built using Unreal Engine and not the controversial Frostbite.
