All articles tagged with #bioware
With Electronic Arts now under Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, a former EA executive questions whether BioWare will continue funding the next Mass Effect, suggesting the project could be deprioritized or canceled as the publisher prioritizes profitable live-service titles; BioWare veterans have expressed doubts about the studio's future under the new ownership amid debt pressures and potential layoffs.
BioWare wanted a character to say 'damn' in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, but Lucasfilm vetoed it, arguing that Star Wars characters don’t say that word. A writer cataloged every usage in the films, yet the licensing decision prevailed, underscoring how licensing controls shape dialogue in licensed games.
Former Dragon Age producer Mark Darrah says BioWare has largely lost the institutional know-how to remaster the Dragon Age trilogy because Origins and DA2 run on the Aurora engine (now largely unsupported), while Dragon Age: Inquisition used Frostbite. Unlike Mass Effect, a Dragon Age remaster would require rare Aurora expertise and there’s little interest—or ability—from EA to assemble a brand-new team for such a project. A Champion Edition was planned, but the technical gaps and corporate uncertainties (layoffs at BioWare, EA’s potential privatization) make a new Dragon Age remaster unlikely, though solid interest exists given Baldur’s Gate 3’s success.
Former BioWare producer Mark Darrah says a Dragon Age Trilogy remaster is unlikely because the old Aurora engine knowledge is largely gone among current staff, meaning a brand-new team and a heavy investment would be required—unlike Mass Effect’s Unreal-based remake.
Former Dragon Age producer Mark Darrah argues Dragon Age may have no clear future at BioWare as EA’s vast IP portfolio and focus on ongoing franchises complicate any Dragon Age revival, describing EA as a hedge fund with a video game hobby. He points to Veilguard's underwhelming sales and the publisher’s strategic priorities, with Saudi-backed investors looming as EA closes its leveraged buyout, casting doubt on BioWare’s ability to return to form.
Dragon Age creator David Gaider says the series is likely dead after the Veilguard release underperformed, but he would consider returning with a darker, more provocative vision if given the chance; BioWare is focused on Mass Effect 5, and EA's ownership plus Veilguard's flop contribute to uncertainty about any future Dragon Age entry.
Dragon Age co-creator David Gaider condemns generative AI in game development, labeling it a 'virulent plague' and arguing it’s terrible at iteration, produces soulless results, relies on data theft, and could hinder junior training—urging regulation and data sourced legally, with AI serving as an aide rather than a replacement.
PC Gamer reports Baldur's Gate II is reportedly getting a remake, with former BioWare lead designer Kevin Martens returning to the project; there's also chatter that BG1 could be remade. Martens is currently collaborating with Wizards of the Coast on Exodus and isn’t a full-time Archetype Entertainment developer. With BG3's success and IP ownership by Wizards, a BG2 remake feels likely, but no release date has been announced.
James Ohlen revealed that in 2015 BioWare planned to reboot Star Wars: The Old Republic as a Knights of the Old Republic–style online game called The New Republic, pitching to Kathleen Kennedy and Dave Filoni with a mock trailer; EA's board blocked the project after recalling SWTOR's $300 million launch, effectively ending the plan and contributing to Ohlen's departure from BioWare years later.
BioWare legend James Ohlen, longtime designer behind Baldur’s Gate 2, says leading ArchetypeEntertainment’s ambitious sci‑fi RPG Exodus—funded by Wizards of the Coast and due in 2027—took a toll on his health, describing it as having to cut the vision in half under constant pushback and lacking a protective executive to shield the creative process. He left Archetype before Exodus shipped last year and is now working on RPG adventure books with Jesse Sky, with no plans to return to running a video‑game startup. Exodus is notable for time‑dilation mechanics and a Mass Effect‑style vibe, with Matthew McConaughey involved in some capacity.
Arcanaut Studios’ Fate of the Old Republic is led by Casey Hudson and features a BioWare-era reunion of Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and KOTOR veterans (Ryan Hoyle, Caroline Livingstone, Melanie Faulknor, Dan Fessenden, Pascal Blanché). The project is described as a new Star Wars action RPG, not a direct Knights of the Old Republic sequel, with a release target before 2030 (likely on PS6 and Project Helix).
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, a spiritual successor to Knights of the Old Republic, is being directed by Casey Hudson who has assembled Arcanaut Studios’ team—ex-BioWare veterans Dan Fessenden, Melanie Faulknor, Caroline Livingstone, Ryan Hoyle, and Pascal Blanché—along with executives Chris Bain and Cordy Rierson; the PC/console game features a light vs. dark path, but no release date has been announced yet (not expected to be as late as 2030).
Mass Effect: Andromeda voice actor Tom Taylorson says the game was 'done dirty' by EA, rushed out with a Frostbite engine unsuited for the storytelling, and released into a toxic online environment; the controversy helped sink expectations, leading to scrapped plans for Andromeda-related spin-offs and a next Mass Effect now returning to Unreal Engine.
EA is shutting down Dragon Age: Inquisition's PS3 servers on April 28, ending its multiplayer after 12 years; the game’s single-player legacy remains strong, but Bioware’s live-service efforts stumbled thereafter, and EA hasn’t clarified the reasons or the impact on the Dragon Age Keep portal.
A fan has reportedly gotten Anthem running on a private peer-to-peer server days after its official shutdown, with YouTuber And799 showing two players in a shared matchmaking space; online features like viewing profiles are limited and BioWare/EA have not revived the game. The setup is described as a research experiment, not a revival, highlighting fan efforts to preserve the title and potentially salvage playable content in the future.