Mass Effect 2 Writer Reveals TRUTH Of BioWare’s Downfall
"The teams were pushed to create games based on market research..."
In a blog post on his website, former Bioware employee and lead writer on the first two Mass Effect games, Drew Karpyshyn, has revealed why he left the company after over twenty years.
Putting into words what fans already assumed, the acclaimed writer explained that the company became more corporate minded as the years went on, and was pushed into creating projects based on market research rather than any real creative spark from the team. He explained:
"When I started at BioWare, everything was fresh and exciting. It was a dream job – talented people working together to create epic games like Baldur’s Gate, KOTOR, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. But as we grew and became more successful, things changed. We became more corporate. We were less able to make what we loved, and the teams were pushed to create games based on market research rather than our creative instincts and passions. My dream job became just a job, and I lost the enthusiasm and excitement I once had."
While publisher EA no doubt had a hand in this shift in mentality, as horror stories have been uncovered previously about the publisher essentially wanting all of their studios to make something as popular and profitable as FIFA, the blame can't entirely be placed on the company, as Bioware internally has also allegedly been a bit of a mess for a while.
Fortunately, Karpyshyn is currently acting as the lead writer for an unnamed story-driven RPG at Archetype Entertainment, a new game studio started by other former Bioware members. Hopefully this project can fill the gap that Bioware and EA have left behind.