When in June 2021 Gary McKay took over as General Manager of BioWare, he was beginning one of the biggest challenges of his career. Running a big studio will never be easy, but in the case of what was once seen as one of the main ones when it comes to RPGs, in addition to the executive having to take care of all aspects of the company, he would still have to restore an image that has been badly scratched. .
- BioWare and the influence of money on game creation
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Founded in Canada in 1995 by physicians Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, over the years BioWare has specialized in creating one of the most beloved game genres on the planet. In addition, the studio has shown itself to be capable of producing excellent titles based on established franchises, such as Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars .
Always focused on quality, getting the admiration of a large part of the public was a natural consequence, but the structures of that developer began to shake in 2007, when we had the announcement that it was being acquired by Electronic Arts. For many, that would be the beginning of the end and although it didn’t happen, for some years BioWare seems to be breathing for devices.
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After having created great expectations when shown at E3 2017, the title emerged as a possible redemption of BioWare, a new franchise that put us aboard flying armor and had a visual quality that was jaw-dropping. The result, however, was a bland, repetitive experience that was far from reminiscent of the quality standard that had elevated the company to the pantheon of major game developers. The situation was so ugly, that not even the attempt to recreate the game was carried out.
With the departure of several key professionals and in the face of such a strong damage, EA had two options: give BioWare the same fate as other studios they bought, which would be to close the doors and relocate part of the employees; or continue betting on a resumption, something that CEO Andrew Wilson stated would be the objective.
If this will actually happen, we still don’t know, but according to a publication
made this week by Gary McKay, everyone within BioWare is dedicated to reclaiming the prestige the company once held. According to him, 2021 was a very difficult year due to COVID-19, which made the studio go through reformulations and offer greater flexibility to its employees.
“Continue working under the pressure of a worldwide pandemic it was not easy. We had to adopt new tools, processes and ways of communicating. We are all balancing personal time and work and each person has been dealing with their own unique situation. The biggest challenge remains the uncertainty of all this, which makes life difficult for everyone and makes it harder to plan for the future.”
Among the changes is the no need for new employees to move to the cities of Austin, in the United States, or Edmonton, in Canada. In addition, while part of the professionals have already returned to the offices, others are still working remotely. Even so, McKay praised his team for having managed to release one of the best-rated titles last year, which was
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.Now, the company’s next bet will be on expansion Legacy of the Sith, for the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic and which is scheduled for release on February 15th. However, what most fans are waiting for are the new chapters of the series Dragon Age and Mass Effect . In the case of the first, Gary McKay stated that the title will be focused on a single-player experience, offering us choices that really matter to the story.
As for the new “space opera”, the executive suggested that people pay more attention to the image below. Released on the last N7 Day (7/11), it would have at least five hidden clues, all indicating what we can expect for the future of the universe Mass Effect.
Thank you all for being the best fans in the world! pic.twitter.com/kUwASGJhcx
— Mass Effect (@masseffect) November 7, 2021
Finally , McKay assured that they are focused on regaining the trust of the fans and that this will only be possible “ by delivering the kind of games they have become known for and ensuring they are of the highest quality.” According to him, BioWare’s mission is “create worlds of adventure, conflict and companionship that inspire you to become the hero of your own story.”
As a big fan of many games created under the BioWare label, I really hope that Gary McKay succeeds and manages to give us back a little bit of what this company once was. However, that will not be easy, I have no doubt.
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