Bioware: This is your time.

[Max Heap]

Bioware should be dumped in the same massengrab as the other studios executed by EA. It's time.

Seeing how Garriott and other "victims" of EA acted on their own I'm starting to doubt that narrative.

Bioware seems like a company that completely fucked itself with retarded writing and design decisions.
Which is understandable, cause that was never their speciality. Bioware mostly shined at providing solid RPG frameworks like the infinity or the aurora engine. The "heavy lifting" of RPG design was done by Black Isle and anything after that cooperation never really reached that level of quality again. The original NWN campaign was an early warning sign.

But even their technical prowess seemed to fade away after Dragon Age: Origins.
Mass Effect 2 was still very much liked - despite being heavily criticized for its simplified mechanics.

After that (2010) every release was plagued by a variety of issues:
Dragon Age 2 - complete disaster in visual style, writing and mechanics ("lol awesome button!")
SWTOR - a financial black hole, arguably one of the biggest let downs the company ever released (made the original founders retire)
Mass Effect 3 - absolute disaster in writing and public relations; possibly the point of no return for Bioware
Dragon Age: Inquisition - comparatively inoffensive at the time but extremely lackluster when you look back at it
Mass Effect: Andromeda - the absolute laughing stock of the internet at release
Anthem - similar to DA:I, high production values but design wise completely forgetable. The ingame shop is just the last nail in the coffin.

Now if you were EA, would you keep giving these guys money?
Or would you just back away slowly?

Bioware's downfall is for the most part their own fault.
I think the problem is, that at a certain level of financing these companies simply can't handle the scale of their own projects anymore.

 

[Tyranicon]

BioWere are watching on in awe as CDPR is just following in BioWere's footsteps.

If this is the end of the road, CDPR's legacy is much shorter than BioWare's.

 

[DraQ]

That ain't Bioware, that's the corpse of what used to be Bioware

This reminds me of that old joke with a french woman's corpse.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Skeleton talking about barely skeleton crew
ironic

 

[just]

who can save aaa rpgs

 

[Tyranicon]

who can save aaa rpgs

I'll do it!

Just knock off two of the A's and add in porn.

 

[just]

who can save aaa rpgs

I'll do it!

Just knock off two of the A's and add in porn.

start exporting it for linux

 

[Tyranicon]

who can save aaa rpgs

I'll do it!

Just knock off two of the A's and add in porn.

start exporting it for linux

Whoa whoa. I said I'll save AAA gaming, not be a good person.

 

[eli]

Bioware mostly shined at providing solid RPG frameworks like the infinity or the aurora engine. The "heavy lifting" of RPG design was done by Black Isle and anything after that cooperation never really reached that level of quality again.

Bioware clearly dumbed down in quality since BG. Call me a combatfag but torment isn't up to BG 1 quality. If i am playing a game give me good gameplay.
Also, maybe because i played those games two decades after their release, but how bioware's engines are anything good?

 

[DraQ]

Bioware clearly dumbed down in quality since BG.

An ankle-spraining plunge if I've ever seen one.

Call me a combatfag but torment isn't up to BG 1 quality.

Totally a biowarean game.

If i am playing a game give me good gameplay.

Half-assed RTWP clusterfucks are the obvious pinnacle of that.

Also, maybe because i played those games two decades after their release, but how bioware's engines are anything good?

Spoiler

They aren't. But IE provided a flexible enough dev platform when it was needed. Even though it's easy to imagine how, for example, PS:T or even BG could have ended up being a better game with different gamedev choices.

 

[Chippy]

WTF is left of Bioware anyway? When EA took over, it's like they successfully broke into the castle and subjugated the leaders for a bit (the doctors) before they escaped. Since then the more competent and veteran members have made their escape.

And now EA just have the red headed stepchild / spoiled bastard children left in the dungeons being tortured. And they're putting out these ransom fees for games, but everyone just wants the torture to continue because nobody really likes the spoiled bastard children that Bioware has become.

So - why? CDProjekt really annoyed me with W3, but I'm sure it's way ahead of DA:I and whatever that Andromeda thing was. Never played either one. Why would you want that kind of decline?.

 

[eli]

If i am playing a game give me good gameplay.

Half-assed RTWP clusterfucks are the obvious pinnacle of that.

Combat is shit because of the terrible engine, and it is twice as shit in torment when enemies in the hive are running away from you and you towards them in attempts to kill them.
BG had a better utilisation of the combat because it was a simple adventure with simple gameplay.

 

[Hot Coldman]

BioWere are watching on in awe as CDPR is just following in BioWere's footsteps.

HAH! This guy actually wants Mass Effect 5 and Dragon age 4. Enjoy your focus group'ed, mass-marketed, corporate, needs-90-IQ-to-win soulless AAA crap...?

So... Cyberpunk?

Yes.

 

[Gargaune]

BIOWARE: YOU CAN REGAIN IT. Follow these steps:

1. Release the Mass Effect Remastered Trilogy in good order with no issues.
2. Release Dragon Age IV in good order with no major issues.
3. Release ME5 in good order with no major issues.
4. Fix Anthem.

5. Then hit up your nearest casino and bet your employees' pensions on red since you're on such a streak.

 

[ADULF HITLOR FAN KLUB]

BIOWARE: YOU CAN REGAIN IT. Follow these steps:

1. Release the Mass Effect Remastered Trilogy in good order with no issues.

Won't happen.

2. Release Dragon Age IV in good order with no major issues.

Won't happen.

3. Release ME5 in good order with no major issues.

Won't happen.

4. Fix Anthem.

Won't happen.

DO NOT FUCK UP

They will.

 

[kreight]

Keep wetdreaming you dimwit.

 

[Roguey]

Larian is absolutely AAA. I don't believe I'd group From Software as one though, their games are still made by teams of fewer than 100 people.

100 people is plenty for AAA if a company is slimmed down to the bare essentials (i.e. those are the 100 people who actually do the work). You can't look at BioWare and CDPR as examples of competitive companies. Those companies are in a death spiral due to HR bloat.

AAA (pronounced and sometimes written Triple-A) is an informal classification used for video games produced and distributed by a mid-sized or major publisher, typically having higher development and marketing budgets.

It doesn't have anything to do with quality or sales, it's a budget thing. Bethesda still uses teams not bigger than 100, but they spend a massive amount on marketing, so AAA they are.

 

[Maxwell's Demon]

I think the problem is, that at a certain level of financing these companies simply can't handle the scale of their own projects anymore.

What ever happened to the saying, "He who chases two rabbits, catches none." If expertise in one discipline does not translate to expertise in another discipline, why should it be any different for video game genres? The more they tack on to a project in order to appeal to more demographics with a single game, the more they set themselves up for failure.

If developers really want to open up new markets, shouldn't they build new teams from the ground up to do so? You know, start with a small project and build up in scale with successive ones to build experience (just like they did the first time). That way the developer can tap multiple markets without any of their teams losing focus or productions becoming unmanageable in scale.

 

[Bastardchops]

Man the one thing which would save Bioware, as if it needs saving, is a Dragon Age/ Mass Effect fusion where Shepard does Gun Fu and it's basically an Anthem re-skin but with more Loot Crates. Shepard could have lines like: Yeeeeeaaayy I got tha lootcrate mufucka.