Former Mass Effect Dev Says the Legendary Edition Is Why He Formed His Own Studio

Mac Walters's Journey at BioWare

Walters went on to describe the arduous development cycle for Mass Effect Legendary Edition, which he says reminded him of the early days of BioWare as a small, scrappy team of developers that formed a close bond while creating titles like the original Mass Effect. This development cycle also coincided with other major projects like Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, which Walters said complicated matters and required him to be 'a little bit rogue' and 'entrepreneurial' to keep Legendary Edition on track without disrupting the other development teams at BioWare. When all was said and done, Mac Walters says he realized he wanted to go back to working on original IPs, just like he did with story-based BioWare games like Jade Empire and Anthem. After seeing that this wouldn’t be possible under EA and BioWare, Walters ultimately decided to leave and form his own studio in Worlds Untold. Meanwhile, the Mass Effect franchise will continue without him in the still-in-development Mass Effect 4, and Worlds Untold has yet to announce its first video game project under NetEase as of this writing.

The Impact of Legendary Edition

The success of Mass Effect Legendary Edition played a pivotal role in Mac Walters's decision to move on from the Mass Effect franchise and form his own studio. Walters revealed in a recent interview that the remastered collection of the first three Mass Effect games, including all of their supplementary DLC in one package, felt like the culmination of his work in the Mass Effect universe. He expressed that the success of Legendary Edition convinced him to take a new direction in his career, stating, “It just felt like this is the bow on all the things I've done in Mass Effect. I don't want to do any more Mass Effect after this. Why tempt fate?” Walters also described the arduous development cycle for Legendary Edition, likening it to the early days of BioWare, and highlighted the challenges of managing the project alongside other major endeavors at BioWare. This experience ultimately led him to realize his desire to work on original IPs, prompting his departure from BioWare and the formation of Worlds Untold under NetEase.

Vision for Worlds Untold

After leaving BioWare, Mac Walters formed his own development team named Worlds Untold under the umbrella of Chinese gaming company NetEase. The Vancouver-based studio aims to create triple-A action-adventure games with an emphasis on narrative and worldbuilding, drawing inspiration from the successful franchises Walters helped craft during his time at BioWare. Walters expressed his desire to work on original IPs, similar to his experience with story-based BioWare games like Jade Empire and Anthem. He realized that this would not be possible under EA and BioWare, leading to his decision to form Worlds Untold. While the Mass Effect franchise continues without him, Worlds Untold has yet to announce its first video game project under NetEase as of this writing, but the studio's vision is clear: to create immersive, narrative-driven experiences that capture the spirit of the games Walters has been a part of.