10 Beloved Video Game Studios That Publishers RUINED

1. Bioware

Bioware’s decline is probably the most recent tragedy on this list, to the point where the wounds are still sore. The once-great RPG maker arguably started to falter after botching the ending of Mass Effect 3, but it was EA’s decision to make them adopt the Frostbite engine for all future games which sealed their fate.

Even on the well-received Dragon Age: Inquisition, it’s been documented that the engine caused the team a huge amount of pain, as they struggled to get the technology (which is optimised for first-person shooter games) to accommodate their vision for grand, third-person role-playing titles.

Across Dragon Age, Mass Effect: Andromeda and most recently Anthem, the tools have hindered the team's ambition at every step, and EA apparently haven't offered much in way of support. If anything, the publisher only punished the studio for getting to grips with the engine, as they moved Bioware staff over to help similarly struggling devs on FIFA.

There’s blame to be shared by the developers themselves as well, but there’s no denying EA’s disdain for single-player and their forced tech mandates forced Bioware’s hand.

[JB]