The Future of BioWare's Mass Effect and Dragon Age: A Game-Changing Sword

EA's recent announcement revealed that BioWare, the renowned RPG company, will no longer be involved in the development of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Instead, they will shift their focus to their highly regarded franchises, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. This decision did not come as a surprise to fans, considering the cancellation of all future development for Anthem in 2021. It clearly signifies EA's intention for BioWare to prioritize their two biggest franchises.

By concentrating their resources on Mass Effect and Dragon Age, BioWare can reap both benefits and drawbacks. On the positive side, fans can anticipate more of these immensely popular and excellently crafted franchises, avoiding the mistakes made in Mass Effect: Andromeda. These franchises have always thrived as single-player experiences, which happens to be BioWare's forte. Instead of dividing their resources among new MMO IPs like Anthem or developing multiplayer components for single-player games, BioWare can now solely focus on what they excel at.

BioWare's Struggles Left Its Future Uncertain

EA's decision to shift BioWare's focus from single-player games to MMOs backfired when they prioritized Anthem over Mass Effect, leaving the latter game with poor animation and a disappointing storyline. Mass Effect's shaky launch led to minimal developer support and speculation about the franchise's demise, as BioWare worked on Anthem's release.

Unfortunately, Anthem's launch fared even worse than Mass Effect: Andromeda, receiving criticism from both critics and fans for its bugs, lackluster loot system, and uninteresting storyline. The subpar story was a significant disappointment, as BioWare was known for its captivating storytelling. Recognizing the underlying issue, EA made changes by shifting Dragon Age: Dreadwolf from a multiplayer game to a fully single-player experience.

BioWare Needs Both a Comfort Zone and New Ideas

Anthem's troubled launch has made EA cautious, but the decision to focus on Mass Effect and Dragon Age as single-player experiences is a step in the right direction. However, BioWare cannot rely on just two IP forever and needs to explore new creative avenues. It's important to remember that BioWare initially gained recognition by developing video games based on existing IPs like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights. Today, BioWare has proven its capability in creating original IPs, as long as they are given sufficient time, technology, and creative freedom in their chosen genres.

Restricting BioWare to only its successful IPs would stifle a highly successful studio that is brimming with creative talent, causing a significant loss to the industry. The ideal situation for BioWare now would be for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and Mass Effect 4 to have successful launches, opening the door for EA to provide BioWare with the necessary resources, time, technology, and staff to develop a new single-player IP. This would allow BioWare to expand on its existing successful IPs while also establishing itself as an industry leader, rather than remaining stagnant.

BioWare fans are eagerly anticipating the continuation of their beloved franchises such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age. The recent news of more content for these games has sparked excitement among the community. It appears that BioWare has entered a promising new phase as a studio, signaling a positive direction after years of uncertainty. However, there is still work to be done before fans can fully trust that everything is on track. Notably, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is currently being developed.