Bioware has been a studio that has had a series of massive ups and downs over the past decade. From the victories of Dragon Age Inquisition to the disappointments of Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem. While the company has seen some goodwill regained from fans with the excellent Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. Which brought the classic trilogy to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles with a wealth of quality of life improvements. With fans highly anticipating the next installments of Mass Effect and Dragon Age, the pressure is on Bioware to deliver.
Bioware Pandemic Adjustments
In a blog post released today, Bioware GM Gary Mckay shared some of the big changes and challenges that the studio has faced this past year. With the struggles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, many studios had to adapt how they developed games. Mckay explains that they have adjusted to this challenge by creating completely remote roles which allows them a wide breadth of talent to choose from. All without having to relocate developers to either their Canadian or US physical locations.
“The pandemic has also taught us a lot about how we can work together, even while working across North America from hundreds of different locations. And now, we’ll use what we’ve learned and apply it to a new work model that will ensure flexibility for everyone in the studio. Our goal is to lean into the things that everyone likes about working from home, while also giving people the opportunity to return to the office with more flexibility. Going forward, we’ll have new challenges with a hybrid approach to work and are focused on new tech that will help maximize collaboration and communication between onsite and remote people.”
Bringing Fans Back To Bioware
It is no secret that Bioware has struggled with the releases of Mass Effect Andromeda and Anthem, which all suffered a variety of pre-launch and post-launch problems. This damaged fan confidence in the studio, which even led fans to question what the possible quality of the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition could be. While the collection of Mass Effect games was a massive hit, Mckay states that they want to make sure they continue pleasing fans and rebuilding the studio’s prestigious reputation.
“When I took on the GM role, I talked about rebuilding our reputation, and that remains a huge priority. We are laser-focused on building back the trust of our fans and community, and we plan to do that by delivering the types of games that we are best known for and ensuring they are of the highest quality. Our mission is to “Create worlds of adventure, conflict, and companionship that inspire you to become the hero of your story.” We want the launch of our games to be seminal moments in the industry.”
While it is impossible to predict the future, it feels comforting to see Bioware continue to grow and focus in on what fans fell in love with. With easier access to a wide variety of talent, and focusing on making the types of games fans love the future looks a little bit brighter for the studio.
What do you think of the future of Bioware? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to check back for the latest gaming news and information.
