BioWare Montreal Takes Over Mass Effect

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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BioWare Montreal Takes Over Mass Effect


BioWare's Montreal studio says it will explore new directions with both story and gameplay in the next Mass Effect game.

It's hardly a surprise that the Mass Effect franchise will carry on despite the end of Commander Shepard's galaxy-saving story arc, but it won't be happening in Edmonton. The next game will instead be developed by BioWare Montreal, which studio director Yanick Roy revealed is already working on the game. The studio had a hand in the development of both Mass Effect 2 and 3, but "always in conjunction with Casey [Hudson], the Mass Effect leads and the developers in Edmonton." This time around, the Montreal team is in the driver's seat.

"To ensure a proper and effective transition, we'll continue to be supported by the Edmonton studio through the game's development, working with and learning from them on some critical initiatives. On top of that, Casey remains the Executive Producer, but he will have a Project Director under him, working in Montreal, leading our development team and making day-to-day decisions for the game," Roy wrote in a BioWare Blog post.

"There is really not much I can tell you about the game right now, except that it will be built with the amazing technology of Frostbite as its foundation, enhanced by many of the systems that the Dragon Age III team has already spent a lot of time building," he continued. "The other thing I can tell you is that, while it will be very respectful of the heritage built over the course of the first three games, with the original trilogy now concluded and the switch over to a new engine, we are exploring new directions, both on the gameplay and story fronts. You can still expect the pillars the franchise is known for to be fully intact though, including diverse alien races, a huge galaxy to explore, and of course rich, cinematic storytelling."

The core team is already together and Roy said the studio will bulk up at an accelerated pace over the next year in order to support the development of the game. He also admitted that "it's probably going to be quite awhile" before the team has any meaningful details about Mass Effect 4 (or whatever it ends up being called) to share.

Source: BioWare Blog [http://blog.bioware.com/2012/11/12/an-update-from-bioware-montreal/]



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blackrave

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Mar 7, 2012
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"explore new directions with both story and gameplay in the next Mass Effect game."

I hate when developers say things like that
Unless you are making RTS or racing game out of Mass Effect you do not "explore new directions"
You're simply tweaking game mechanics a bit

For example- when everyone is using gasoline generators, building nuclear reactor is "new direction", building ethanol generator isn't
 

GenGenners

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Jul 25, 2012
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My guess is that it won't be set in the same continuity as the original games.
Like a new Final Fantasy, it will share some core themes and recurring ideas, but will otherwise take place within a different game world.
 

INeedAName

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Feb 16, 2011
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Unless it *somehow* changes the last game's ending, I probably won't be interested. I've never had a great interest in prequels or midquels (especially not when the main conflict of the universe has already been resolved in another game).
 

White-Death

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Oct 31, 2011
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So basically making Gears of War with Mass Effect skins?
That's what ME3 felt like for me at least.
I'm pretty sure innovation is a dead thing for the Mass Effect series,I expect this one to be a stinker.
 

UnderGlass

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My prediction: A nostalgia-driven, 2D isometric, "old-school" tactical RPG just like they used to make in the olden days.
 

fix-the-spade

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Leftnt Sharpe said:
Hopefully, this means that the Bioware Edmonton Mass Effect team, is working on an original IP.
Or that they are set to be wound down.

Not like EA has history of such behaviour or anything.
 

Canadish

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Jul 15, 2010
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They're using the Frostbite engine?

So...does this mean instead of 3 coloured endings, we'll only have blue?
 

ShirowShirow

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Oct 14, 2010
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I can see this working.

Mass Effect was a great series, but I don't think it had anything "Special" about it that meant a new dev team can't make a good new one.

Maybe we can get some good animation this time too.
 

Leftnt Sharpe

Nick Furry
Apr 2, 2009
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fix-the-spade said:
Leftnt Sharpe said:
Hopefully, this means that the Bioware Edmonton Mass Effect team, is working on an original IP.
Or that they are set to be wound down.

Not like EA has history of such behaviour or anything.
I try not to dwell on that idea and be positive. But............its EA, so its always on the cards.
 

Legion

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Oct 2, 2008
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Andy Chalk said:
"The other thing I can tell you is that, while it will be very respectful of the heritage built over the course of the first three games.
This part amused me, because personally I'd argue that the third game wasn't particularly respectful of the heritage built over the course of the first two.
 

Eruanno

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Aug 14, 2008
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Canadish said:
They're using the Frostbite engine?

So...does this mean instead of 3 coloured endings, we'll only have blue?
And brown. Actually, four very slightly different shades of brown and one blue.
 

Amethyst Wind

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Legion said:
Andy Chalk said:
"The other thing I can tell you is that, while it will be very respectful of the heritage built over the course of the first three games.
This part amused me, because personally I'd argue that the third game wasn't particularly respectful of the heritage built over the course of the first two.
No matter how hard they try the developers will get some part of the lore wrong that'll contradict the previous three games and the fans will call foul. It just depends on how important the mistake is.

In terms of a new direction, I'm probably calling prequel. The First Contact War, Skyllian Blitz, The Morning War, Rachni Wars, Krogan Uprising etc.
 

Deathlyphil

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Amethyst Wind said:
No matter how hard they try the developers will get some part of the lore wrong that'll contradict the previous three games and the fans will call foul. It just depends on how important the mistake is.

In terms of a new direction, I'm probably calling prequel. The First Contact War, Skyllian Blitz, The Morning War, Rachni Wars, Krogan Uprising etc.
It could go the other way. Set it a few hundred years in the future where you can attempt to hand wave the endings of 3. Create a "new" synthetic race, or maybe a pocket of the universe didn't get affected by the Star child's coloured explosion.

Growing tensions between those that fully support the integration of synthetic life and the purists?

Warring factions of the church of The Shepard?

Epic Solarian sing-offs?

Or maybe, we will finally get to see how a Hanar moves...
 

w00tage

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If they make Mass Effect: Freelancer, I will buy it, and both of their crappy ME sequels just to say thank you.
 

ExtraDebit

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Jul 16, 2011
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Does it matter? They're still part of EA. The best they could produce is a game that looks great on the outside but really got no depth.

Look at ME2 and ME3, the gameplay is just basically a rail shooter.