A former BioWare veteran wishes that the studio had done a better job differentiating between their two hit series: Mass Effect and Dragon Age.
Speaking to magazine Edge in issue 389, BioWare’s former general manager Aaryn Flynn looked back at the two RPG heavyweights. “We got a little too homogenous between Mass Effect and Dragon Age,” Flynn remarked. “I wish we would have kept more of a PC-centric, Neverwinter-like identity for Dragon Age, and let Mass Effect really be the cinematic storytelling masterpiece that it is.” The studio’s fantasy series certainly began with more Neverwinter Nights influence, but with Dragon Age 2’s action focus and Dragon Age: Inquisition’s MMO-like quests, the series did admittedly lose some of that flare.
Flynn also recently reminisced about how BioWare developers would often start their careers by modding the Dungeons & Dragons RPG, which might just explain the developer’s soft spot for Neverwinter Nights. Nowadays, Flynn leads development on the survival game Nightingale, which puts floating Mary Poppins-types in a fantasy open world. Our preview had good things to say about the game, which is due for release on PC on February 22nd.
- Legendary Dragon Age writer looks to Baldur's Gate 3 devs while giving EA advice after The Veilguard: "Follow Larian's lead and double down on that"
- Dragon Age 2 director acknowledges "really fast rush" behind the RPG's development as the team tried to "jump on the grenade that was being placed in front of BioWare"
Flynn isn’t the only BioWare alum to have recently reminisced about the classics, though. Dragon Age’s ex-lead-writer David Gaider recently expressed his desire for a “PS5-era” remake of Origins, with all the fancy “bells and whistles.” Gaider also remembered his time writing those game’s romance storylines with a loving memory: “god, I hated it so much.”
For a proper trip down memory lane, check out the history of BioWare, as told by the people who were actually there.
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