MASS EFFECT 5 - yes or no

[Flying Dutchman]

Sympathy post for all the hopes and dreams for another Mass Effect.

 

[Padzi]

What if they're not working on Mass Effect 5, but they are only working on that fucking remaster?

Companies that just want a cash infusion shit out a remaster.

Putting any time into it at all is done when they want to test the waters for reviving a product line or to prime people to buy the next installment.

Come to think of it, there are no DLCs dor Derpomeda.
No DLC = no extra money.
I wonder how tears of Bioware Montreal tasted back then.
Probably like salt and despair.

 

[CrunchyHemorrhoids]

I could see a different studio like obsidian taking the ME IP (the different factions and the way the different races look & act) and churn out a decent Mass Effect: Babylon 5 (AP2 with a ME skin and actual hubs). Unlikely under EA's watch, for now.

 

[DalekFlay]

Come to think of it, there are no DLCs dor Derpomeda.
No DLC = no extra money.
I wonder how tears of Bioware Montreal tasted back then.
Probably like salt and despair.

EA pretty bluntly (for a corporation) said that Andromeda was a bomb. I don't think that means they won't try again eventually though, the IP is too big to abandon.

 

[Padzi]

EA pretty bluntly (for a corporation) said that Andromeda was a bomb

Yeah, it was a bomb... that blow up Bioware Montreal.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Come to think of it, there are no DLCs dor Derpomeda.
No DLC = no extra money.
I wonder how tears of Bioware Montreal tasted back then.
Probably like salt and despair.

EA pretty bluntly (for a corporation) said that Andromeda was a bomb. I don't think that means they won't try again eventually though, the IP is too big to abandon.

Not sure where the idea that Andromeda was a flop came from. Unless EA's CEO lied to their shareholders, it did "really well".

The lack of DLC was probably a Bioware decision, not an EA one.
Bioware Montreal was already in the process of being shitcanned a month after its release.

 

[DalekFlay]

Not sure where the idea that Andromeda was a flop came from. Unless EA's CEO lied to their shareholders, it did "really well".

The lack of DLC was probably a Bioware decision, not an EA one.

You're right that it sold better than I thought, but Wikipedia's citations still show it kinda mixed. Sold worse on PC than ME3, and didn't have as long a tail. There's other factors involved in a bomb too, I'm sure the critical and internet response were not a positive thing for the company. You're right though, he seems to indicate it sold better than the press would have you believe. Still... do you really think there's a chance for an Andromeda 2? I don't. It's tainted goods in the cultural consensus, even if that's consensus is built on a sand castle of the loud and perpetually aggrieved.

 

[Tytus]

Come to think of it, there are no DLCs dor Derpomeda.
No DLC = no extra money.
I wonder how tears of Bioware Montreal tasted back then.
Probably like salt and despair.

EA pretty bluntly (for a corporation) said that Andromeda was a bomb. I don't think that means they won't try again eventually though, the IP is too big to abandon.

Not sure where the idea that Andromeda was a flop came from. Unless EA's CEO lied to their shareholders, it did "really well".

The lack of DLC was probably a Bioware decision, not an EA one.
Bioware Montreal was already in the process of being shitcanned a month after its release.

Not sure where the idea that Andromeda was a flop came from. Unless EA's CEO lied to their shareholders, it did "really well".

The lack of DLC was probably a Bioware decision, not an EA one.

You're right that it sold better than I thought, but Wikipedia's citations still show it kinda mixed. Sold worse on PC than ME3, and didn't have as long a tail. There's other factors involved in a bomb too, I'm sure the critical and internet response were not a positive thing for the company. You're right though, he seems to indicate it sold better than the press would have you believe. Still... do you really think there's a chance for an Andromeda 2? I don't. It's tainted goods in the cultural consensus, even if that's consensus is built on a sand castle of the loud and perpetually aggrieved.

EA: Mass Effect: Andromeda to sell 3 million in one week
DEREK STRICKLAND FEBRUARY 03, 2017
EA expects to sell about 3 million copies of Mass Effect: Andromeda in its first week or so, and here's how that will affect the company's overall Fiscal Year 2017 earnings.

VIEW GALLERY - 4 IMAGES

Mass Effect: Andromeda will ship on March 21, 2017 which is right at the fourth quarter end of EA's current Fiscal Year (FY17). This is not by mistake. EA slotted the new Mass Effect game in this spot specifically as a business strategy to help bolster an already-stellar year of earnings.

In its third quarter (ending Dec. 31) EA hit $1 billion of operational cashflow for the first time ever, and pulled in a net revenue of $1.149 billion.

That's pre-Mass Effect: EA expects BioWare's RPG will have a massive effect on the fourth quarter earnings, and forecasts have net revenue estimates at $1.482 billion. From Q3 to Q4 2017 EA forecasts a $333 million increase in net revenue, and Mass Effect will be a major part of those earnings, but all of EA's current money-makers are included as well.

As such, EA expects that 30% to 50% of Mass Effect: Andromeda's lifetime sales will be sold through the game's launch period in Q4 2017. Mass Effect 3 sold about 6 million units at launch, so EA estimates the new Mass Effect could sell between 1.8 million and 3 million during its launch.

Since the FY 2017 ends on March 31, 2017, Mass Effect: Andromeda will have 10 days or so to sell up to 3 million combined digital and physical copies on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Digital-only purchases are a different story. EA typically stops recording digital sales about 5-7 days before the actual fiscal year is over, so that leaves about a 3-5 day period for digital purchases to be included in the FY 2017 earnings.

Drew Crum - Stifel Nicolaus - Analyst

"Thanks, guys. Just want to ask about the fourth quarter, some of the titles and content you have scheduled to release? And as it relates to the digital

revenue, you mentioned the Battlefield expansion pack late in the quarter, Mass Effect is March 21, I believe in North America, and March 23 in

Europe.

"Given those dates, and the revenue recognition, I think you recognize digital revenue 10 to 14 days in arrears, is it possible that that gets

pushed to FY18?

"And my second question relates to Titanfall. Just want to understand if you have any thoughts as to why you think it underperformed? And going forward, what the digital monetization strategy will be with that franchise? Thanks."

Blake Jorgensen - Electronic Arts Inc. - CFO

"So I'll address the first one, Drew, and then Andrew can address the Titanfall question. We, our digital cut-off is typically about 5 to 7 days, depending on the calendar, more than the actual days. But so we will get some digital from the first few days of sales for Mass Effect.

"We will get very little revenue, just because of the way we book the revenue for the DLCs on Battlefield 1. So you can assume that's close to zero, and assume Mass Effect is going to be anywhere between 30% to 50% of the lifetime of that title.

"And the last Mass Effect did close to 6 million units, so you'll probably see something like around 3 million units in the quarter, depending on the exact timing so."

So what does all this mean?

EA has basically ensured Mass Effect: Andromeda's strongest initial selling point will maximize current fiscal year earnings to culminate in a total FY 2017 net revenue of $4.8 billion and an operational cashflow of $1.35 billion.

By doing so, EA ensures it will have enough operational cash to re-invest into projects and games for Fiscal Year 2018, further bolstering their incoming lineup--which includes new titles like BioWare's massive new IP, Star Wars Battlefront 2, a new Need for Speed, as well as a slew of new mobile game updates, DLC, monetizations, etc.

The publisher will also continue pulling in earnings from Mass Effect: Andromeda via MTX (the game will have online-based multiplayer microtransactions) and consistent recurring sales throughout the beginning of FY 2018 (April 1, 2017) onward. BioWare may even release story-based DLC and expansions for their new Mass Effect game, funded by microtransactions.

However I think the real interesting thing here is how EA is gearing up for BioWare's massive new IP.

"This game has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the way people think about an action title, bringing friends together to play in exciting new ways. We're very excited about the future of this new franchise and its ability to attract a larger global audience."

This new IP will be a franchise, it's coming in 2018, and is based on sci-fi-ish action-adventure with considerable online elements. I've likened this to BioWare's "dream game," and it may be something like Bungie's Destiny.

Instead of being a shooter, however, I think BioWare's IP will leverage all of the developer's strong suits: storytelling, strategy, adventure, etc. This will be a meld of many key elements, and it represents something huge for EA and BioWare. It's a turning point for BioWare, and this online-based game will ensure EA has a massive influx of monetized content including DLC, MTX, and maybe even subscription-based gameplay alongside a buy-to-play strategy.

Although the IP has been in development since 2012, I think EA is still looking to pull in more revenue to re-invest into the game itself. Since it's coming in 2018 (possibly FY2018 or FY2019) it stands to reason the game may be mostly finished, however EA may want to continue securing operational cashflow to ensure certain things such as a stable online environment and a dedicated liveteam.

"It's action-adventure, not RPG. So what we're starting to see more and more in games is kind of genre-melding, which is great components of a number of different genres really coming together in a single game," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in the earnings call.

"So when you're thinking about this game you should be thinking about the great RPG character development and storyline progression that BioWare is known for, but in a world of greater action and greater adventure. Which is growing to be the largest categories of games. It will be a wholly-owned IP and we're very excited about it and we'll share more in the year to come."

In any case, Mass Effect: Andromeda should be a big success given the hype, and EA will continue doing what it does best: making money by making games.

Derek is absorbed with the intersection of technology and gaming, and is always looking forward to new advancements. With over six years in games journalism under his belt, Derek aims to further engage the gaming sector while taking a peek under the tech that powers it. He hopes to one day explore the stars in No Man's Sky with the magic of VR.

" dir="ltr" style="color: rgb(68, 68, 67); font-family: "Adobe Garamond Pro", Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", "PingFang SC", "Hiragino Sans GB", "Droid Sans Fallback", "Microsoft YaHei", sans-serif, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; font-variant-ligatures: common-ligatures; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
EA expects to sell about 3 million copies of Mass Effect: Andromeda in its first week or so, and here's how that will affect the company's overall Fiscal Year 2017 earnings.


EA hit $1 billion of operational cashflow for the first time ever, and pulled in a net revenue of $1.149 billion.

That's pre-Mass Effect: EA expects BioWare's RPG will have a massive effect on the fourth quarter earnings, and forecasts have net revenue estimates at $1.482 billion. From Q3 to Q4 2017 EA forecasts a $333 million increase in net revenue, and Mass Effect will be a major part of those earnings, but all of EA's current money-makers are included as well.

As such, EA expects that 30% to 50% of Mass Effect: Andromeda's lifetime sales will be sold through the game's launch period in Q4 2017. Mass Effect 3 sold about 6 million units at launch, so EA estimates the new Mass Effect could sell between 1.8 million and 3 million during its launch.

Since the FY 2017 ends on March 31, 2017, Mass Effect: Andromeda will have 10 days or so to sell up to 3 million combined digital and physical copies on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Digital-only purchases are a different story. EA typically stops recording digital sales about 5-7 days before the actual fiscal year is over, so that leaves about a 3-5 day period for digital purchases to be included in the FY 2017 earnings.


Drew Crum - Stifel Nicolaus - Analyst

"Thanks, guys. Just want to ask about the fourth quarter, some of the titles and content you have scheduled to release? And as it relates to the digital

revenue, you mentioned the Battlefield expansion pack late in the quarter, Mass Effect is March 21, I believe in North America, and March 23 in

Europe.

"Given those dates, and the revenue recognition, I think you recognize digital revenue 10 to 14 days in arrears, is it possible that that gets

pushed to FY18?

"And my second question relates to Titanfall. Just want to understand if you have any thoughts as to why you think it underperformed? And going forward, what the digital monetization strategy will be with that franchise? Thanks."

Blake Jorgensen - Electronic Arts Inc. - CFO

"So I'll address the first one, Drew, and then Andrew can address the Titanfall question. We, our digital cut-off is typically about 5 to 7 days, depending on the calendar, more than the actual days. But so we will get some digital from the first few days of sales for Mass Effect.

"We will get very little revenue, just because of the way we book the revenue for the DLCs on Battlefield 1. So you can assume that's close to zero, and assume Mass Effect is going to be anywhere between 30% to 50% of the lifetime of that title.

"And the last Mass Effect did close to 6 million units, so you'll probably see something like around 3 million units in the quarter, depending on the exact timing so."


So what does all this mean?

EA has basically ensured Mass Effect: Andromeda's strongest initial selling point will maximize current fiscal year earnings to culminate in a total FY 2017 net revenue of $4.8 billion and an operational cashflow of $1.35 billion.

By doing so, EA ensures it will have enough operational cash to re-invest into projects and games for Fiscal Year 2018, further bolstering their incoming lineup--which includes new titles like BioWare's massive new IP, Star Wars Battlefront 2, a new Need for Speed, as well as a slew of new mobile game updates, DLC, monetizations, etc.

The publisher will also continue pulling in earnings from Mass Effect: Andromeda via MTX (the game will have online-based multiplayer microtransactions) and consistent recurring sales throughout the beginning of FY 2018 (April 1, 2017) onward. BioWare may even release story-based DLC and expansions for their new Mass Effect game, funded by microtransactions.

However I think the real interesting thing here is how EA is gearing up for BioWare's massive new IP.

"This game has the potential to fundamentally disrupt the way people think about an action title, bringing friends together to play in exciting new ways. We're very excited about the future of this new franchise and its ability to attract a larger global audience."

This new IP will be a franchise, it's coming in 2018, and is based on sci-fi-ish action-adventure with considerable online elements. I've likened this to BioWare's "dream game," and it may be something like Bungie's Destiny.

Instead of being a shooter, however, I think BioWare's IP will leverage all of the developer's strong suits: storytelling, strategy, adventure, etc. This will be a meld of many key elements, and it represents something huge for EA and BioWare. It's a turning point for BioWare, and this online-based game will ensure EA has a massive influx of monetized content including DLC, MTX, and maybe even subscription-based gameplay alongside a buy-to-play strategy.


Although the IP has been in development since 2012, I think EA is still looking to pull in more revenue to re-invest into the game itself. Since it's coming in 2018 (possibly FY2018 or FY2019) it stands to reason the game may be mostly finished, however EA may want to continue securing operational cashflow to ensure certain things such as a stable online environment and a dedicated liveteam.

"It's action-adventure, not RPG. So what we're starting to see more and more in games is kind of genre-melding, which is great components of a number of different genres really coming together in a single game," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in the earnings call.

"So when you're thinking about this game you should be thinking about the great RPG character development and storyline progression that BioWare is known for, but in a world of greater action and greater adventure. Which is growing to be the largest categories of games. It will be a wholly-owned IP and we're very excited about it and we'll share more in the year to come."

In any case, Mass Effect: Andromeda should be a big success given the hype, and EA will continue doing what it does best: making money by making games.

Derek is absorbed with the intersection of technology and gaming, and is always looking forward to new advancements. With over six years in games journalism under his belt, Derek aims to further engage the gaming sector while taking a peek under the tech that powers it. He hopes to one day explore the stars in No Man's Sky with the magic of VR.

Andromeda was suppose to sell 3 mln copies in a week. It sold 2+ mln copies in its lifetime and did not reach the projected 6 mln copies. It was a failure because it didn't meet any of their expectations. And while maybe it still became profitable but that's not enough for EA these days. They want cash cow franchises especially from IP's like Mass Effect. Bioware Montreal died because they did not meet EA's quotas.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Bioware Montreal died because they did not meet EA's quotas.

Just like Bioware died because Anthem was a massive failure.
Wait, no, that didn't happen.

 

[Tytus]

Bioware Montreal died because they did not meet EA's quotas.

Just like Bioware died because Anthem was a massive failure.
Wait, no, that didn't happen.

Bioware Montreal was an untested branch that ever only did multiplayer and dlcs - their first game became a failure(did not meet expectations and the reviews weren't good) so Bioware was restructured. It's not the main studio so it was easy to kill off. If you think Bioware Montreal would be dissolved if ME:A turned out to be a hit, you don't know what you're saying.
You are basically comparing apples to oranges.

 

[Flying Dutchman]

EA pretty bluntly (for a corporation) said that Andromeda was a bomb. I don't think that means they won't try again eventually though, the IP is too big to abandon.

Link to what EA said?

I don't tend to trust paraphrasing of quotes of companies, devs, or publishers as that leads to misinformation.

Also I was to lazy to read through Tytus' quotes to see if the answer was there for the EA quote, if it is, mark this post with a shame icon.

Maybe EA is putting Mass Effect in hibernation in the hopes players forget about Andromeda when the re-awaken the license, kind of like an in advertent Brotherhood of Steel console game fiasco before Van Buren.

 

[Tytus]

EA pretty bluntly (for a corporation) said that Andromeda was a bomb. I don't think that means they won't try again eventually though, the IP is too big to abandon.

Link to what EA said?

I don't tend to trust paraphrasing of quotes of companies, devs, or publishers as that leads to misinformation.

Also I was to lazy to read through Tytus' quotes to see if the answer was there for the EA quote, if it is, mark this post with a shame icon.

Maybe EA is putting Mass Effect in hibernation in the hopes players forget about Andromeda when the re-awaken the license, kind of like an in advertent Brotherhood of Steel console game fiasco before Van Buren.

Blake Jorgensen - Electronic Arts Inc. - CFO

"So I'll address the first one, Drew, and then Andrew can address the Titanfall question. We, our digital cut-off is typically about 5 to 7 days, depending on the calendar, more than the actual days. But so we will get some digital from the first few days of sales for Mass Effect.

"We will get very little revenue, just because of the way we book the revenue for the DLCs on Battlefield 1. So you can assume that's close to zero, and assume Mass Effect is going to be anywhere between 30% to 50% of the lifetime of that title.

"And the last Mass Effect did close to 6 million units, so you'll probably see something like around 3 million units in the quarter, depending on the exact timing so."

Since the FY 2017 ends on March 31, 2017, Mass Effect: Andromeda will have 10 days or so to sell up to 3 million combined digital and physical copies on Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

 

[Tytus]

According to Fox Business, analysts projected Madden NFL 17 to move about 5.5 million units; it managed to do a million SKUs out of the gate during launch week last year.

So to help put this into perspective, the top selling multiplatform AAA game across home consoles and PC has moved somewhere south of 5 through 6 million units. To put that another way, the top-selling AAA game on the market has done maybe just over half of what Bluehole Studios managed to accomplish with Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds on PC, which moved more than 11 million copies this year, according to Steam Spy.

Even worse yet is that games like Mass Effect: Andromeda did so bad that EA and BioWare have been too ashamed to even reveal what the total sales figures are, whether that be physical, digital or a combination of both.

For a little extra perspective, Mass Effect: Andromeda sold less than Injustice 2 when it comes to physical sales, and we know it obviously has sold less than the games at the top end of the chart, so it’s obviously done less than 4 million.

We do know that Injustice 2 moved 500,000 digital copies on PS4 and Xbox One back in May, according to Superdata Research. And since Injustice 2 is lower on the board than Horizon: Zero Dawn, which has moved 3.4 million units – 915,000 of which were digital according to PlayStation LifeStyle. This means that Injustice 2 has moved around 2 – 3 million units since Horizon has moved approximately 2.4 million physical SKUs. We know that it’s just above 2 million for Injustice 2 because it’s still tracking above Tekken 7, which has already moved 1.66 million units across PS4, Xbox One and PC, according to MS Power User.

Now according to the NPD chart for the best-selling games of 2017, they counted the last week of August’s sales for Madden NFL 18, which tracked just above 1.7 million SKUs during its first week of sales, according to CNN. So that means that Mass Effect: Andromeda has sold just under 2.4 million but above 1.7 million when it comes to physical units.

For a little bit of extra perspective, Mass Effect 3 sold 3.5 million copies during its launch quarter as reported by DualShockers, and peaked at 6 million copies sold over the course of its lifetime on the market. Mass Effect: Andromeda managed to sell less than 2.4 million copies over the course of two quarters, or at worse, just barely above 1.7 million physical copies over the last two quarters.

And if you add this to the post above - Andromeda sold around 1.7 physical copies and 2.4 combined copies (digital and physical) and it took longer then they were expecting it to move this many units. (and also did not hit that 3 mln mark). Not to mention when you put this with the reception it got... well the game didn't have strong word of mouth and I doubt it topped that 3 mln copies during it's lifetime. Maybe if you count people playing it with EA/Origin subscription but that isn't actually selling the game itself.


If I remember correctly Original Sin 2 sold just as many on PC alone (if not more right now) and that game was much much cheaper to produce.

 

[Cyberarmy]

Reading those warms my heart.

 

[Ol' Willy]

Andromeda was suppose to sell 3 mln copies in a week. It sold 2+ mln copies in its lifetime and did not reach the projected 6 mln copies. It was a failure because it didn't meet any of their expectations. And while maybe it still became profitable but that's not enough for EA these days. They want cash cow franchises especially from IP's like Mass Effect. Bioware Montreal died because they did not meet EA's quotas.

This reminds me of:

Dead Space 3 sales have failed to meet Electronic Arts sales expectations according to sources speaking with VideoGamer.com. This also means that Dead Space 4 which was in pre-production at Visceral Games has been put on hold.

EA Labels president Frank Gibeau told CVG a year ago that Dead Space 3 needs to sell five million units to justify Dead Space 4. Dead Spoce 3 has sold just 880,000 units at retail as of the week ending February 23, 2013, according to VGChartz. This is the total sales after three weeks on sale.

Yet another franchise suffocated by EA

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

I don't see ME5 coming out prior 2025. They're right now super busy with DA4/ME Trilogy/Anthem 2.0, and next-gen development will likely become even longer. Question is if anyone's even gonna care about Shep and Asari titties at that point.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I don't see ME5 coming out prior 2025. They're right now super busy with DA4/ME Trilogy/Anthem 2.0, and next-gen development will likely become even longer. Question is if anyone's even gonna care about Shep and Asari titties at that point.

What do you think EA Motive's new Vancouver branch has been working on?
EA Motive might sound familiar -- it's what became of Bioware Montreal.

 

[vortex]

I don't see ME5 coming out prior 2025. They're right now super busy with DA4/ME Trilogy/Anthem 2.0, and next-gen development will likely become even longer. Question is if anyone's even gonna care about Shep and Asari titties at that point.

Next ME was in early development since 2019, according to Kotaku. I would expect it in 2023/24.

 

[Tytus]

I don't see ME5 coming out prior 2025. They're right now super busy with DA4/ME Trilogy/Anthem 2.0, and next-gen development will likely become even longer. Question is if anyone's even gonna care about Shep and Asari titties at that point.

What do you think EA Motive's new Vancouver branch has been working on?
EA Motive might sound familiar -- it's what became of Bioware Montreal.

False. EA Motive was established in 2015. Way before Bioware Montreal was dissolved. And while some Bioware Montreal people were moved them, not all of them.
Also their latest game is this



A 30$ game (if I recall correctly). Seems EA isn't letting their C-Team do any AAA games at least as of now.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

I don't see ME5 coming out prior 2025. They're right now super busy with DA4/ME Trilogy/Anthem 2.0, and next-gen development will likely become even longer. Question is if anyone's even gonna care about Shep and Asari titties at that point.

What do you think EA Motive's new Vancouver branch has been working on?
EA Motive might sound familiar -- it's what became of Bioware Montreal.

False. EA Motive was established in 2015. Way before Bioware Montreal was dissolved. And while some Bioware Montreal people were moved them, not all of them.

Bioware Montreal got totally absorbed by Motive(a much smaller studio,) the massive majority of its employees are from Bioware Montreal.

Also their latest game is this



A 30$ game (if I recall correctly). Seems EA isn't letting their C-Team do any AAA games at least as of now.

Wrong again. That's their Montreal team.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-12-12-motive-gm-establishes-means-and-opportunity

Klaus says Motive's Montreal location (a Vancouver office is working on its own projects) is two teams working on separate projects: one "a very unique Star Wars experience" and the other "a new IP, which is a new project by a new team, effectively."

 

[Tytus]

I don't see ME5 coming out prior 2025. They're right now super busy with DA4/ME Trilogy/Anthem 2.0, and next-gen development will likely become even longer. Question is if anyone's even gonna care about Shep and Asari titties at that point.

What do you think EA Motive's new Vancouver branch has been working on?
EA Motive might sound familiar -- it's what became of Bioware Montreal.

False. EA Motive was established in 2015. Way before Bioware Montreal was dissolved. And while some Bioware Montreal people were moved them, not all of them.

Bioware Montreal got totally absorbed by Motive(a much smaller studio,) the massive majority of its employees are from Bioware Montreal.

Also their latest game is this



A 30$ game (if I recall correctly). Seems EA isn't letting their C-Team do any AAA games at least as of now.

Wrong again. That's their Montreal team.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-12-12-motive-gm-establishes-means-and-opportunity

Klaus says Motive's Montreal location (a Vancouver office is working on its own projects) is two teams working on separate projects: one "a very unique Star Wars experience" and the other "a new IP, which is a new project by a new team, effectively."

Oh a new IP? So you admit they are not working on Mass Effect? Good to know

Back in June of 2016, Raymond described EA Motive as "65 veterans strong."

During EA's earnings call earlier this month, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen told shareholders, "We're building out a new studio in Montreal, as we've told everyone. And we've hired over 100 people into that studio that are brand-new to EA. This is to build the new IP around Jade Raymond's team that she's been building," Jorgensen said. "It's a wonderful new addition to our team. And we brought our BioWare Montreal team into that same facility. So they now all sit in one new studio together."

EA Motive was at least a 165 people studio before the merger with Bioware Montreal. And if I remember correctly reading articles by Jason Schreier and others Bioware Montreal had something around max 250 employees working on Andromeda and not all of them were full part jobs. They outsourced a lot to free lancers and contractors. We also know that while the merger happened not all of those people transferred to Motive. Some of them left, some of them were downsized after Andromeda etc. So your massive majority seems to be around 50/50. It wasn't a studio of 50 integrating 250 people into itself.

 

[Narax]

I could see a different studio like obsidian taking the ME IP (the different factions and the way the different races look & act) and churn out a decent Babylon 5: ME (AP2 with a ME skin and actual hubs). Unlikely under EA's watch, for now.

That is my dream ME game, isometric with turn-based combat, at least that's what the series should have been.

 

[Semiurge]

Cora was actually hot. Also Liam is Donald Grover for some reason.

Some modders have given her a makeover, it's not like the doll in the concept art and has a more realistic, nordic even, standard of beauty. "Realism" probably was Bioware's intent, but they just suck at modelling and skinning.

 

[Padzi]

The last Cora has decent haircut.

Cora always reminded me of Kate Gosselin.
I mean...

Spoiler

One of the reasons I can not get along with her character.

 

[Semiurge]

The last Cora has decent haircut.

Cora always reminded me of Kate Gosselin.
I mean...

Spoiler

One of the reasons I can not get along with her character.

They may have tried to make their interpretation of Tasha Yar.