How did this happen?
How did Bioware go from being one of the most respected developers in the industry to being one of the most vilified? I think it started in 2007, when they were acquired by Electronic Arts.
It was all downhill from there.
2007
Bioware introduced it's magnum opus to the world: Mass Effect. An epic, brilliantly-written story-driven space opera, Mass Effect captivated gamers and introduced millions to a burgeoning franchise and one of the most-loved developers in the industry. Bioware was riding high after this success. But then Electronic Arts bought Bioware.
Wait, that's not true.
EA bought Bioware in October, and Mass Effect was released in November. The reason it wasn't an EA title was because Microsoft fronted the money. That's also why it is still only available on Xbox 360 and PC.
2010
Bioware released Mass Effect 2, which was simultaneously revered and despised for the same reasons: the removal of some RPG mechanics and improved shooting. I'm not going into what I think about the game, but I will say it was the beginning of the hatred that Bioware and Mass Effect would receive.
With this game developed under EA supervision, many fans saw them as the reason it was "dumbed down." EA's reputation for appealing to the lowest-common denominator and preference to hit release dates fueled their fire, but the game was mostly loved and devoid of controversy.
2011
Dragon Age II is released and the shitstorm begins. While it garnered good reviews, it was this game that got Bioware fans largely angered. Two game in a row, they saw their favorite company and franchises getting "dumbed down," and now they had a whole container of gasoline for their flames. They derided it for many of the same reasons as they derided Mass Effect 2: simplified RPG mechanics, a lackluster story and a greater emphasis on combat. It even got to the point where EA Games Label President Frank Gibeau acknowledged the fans' disappointment over the direction Dragon Age II took, and proclaimed: "As we think about where we take the franchise next, we?re going to take that into consideration and really engage them?
Bioware tried to coo reassuringly to fans that the studio worked for their fans.
2012
Mass Effect 3 comes out and you can't go to any gaming site without encountering the controversies tied to it. The most recent, and biggest one, is the ending. Or endings. Bioware has caved into fan pressure to change the endings. Fans made a petition and then took Bioware to the Federal Trade Commission on a false advertising complaint.
Over the past few years, Bioware's relationship with fans has gotten so volatile that it resulted in a lawsuit. Fans distrusted Bioware, and Bioware's acquisition by EA is what started it all. The games themselves came second, initially. Bioware then didn't stomp this in the ground and just say "we are artists, these are our works. We can't please everybody, no matter what we do." They just placated them, mindlessly, like children.
Through miscommunication, childishness, patronization, and EA's reputation, the relationship between Bioware and its fans has become adversarial and completely unhealthy. Unhealthy for the industry, for the games, the medium and for everybody involved.
How did Bioware go from being one of the most respected developers in the industry to being one of the most vilified? I think it started in 2007, when they were acquired by Electronic Arts.
It was all downhill from there.
2007
Bioware introduced it's magnum opus to the world: Mass Effect. An epic, brilliantly-written story-driven space opera, Mass Effect captivated gamers and introduced millions to a burgeoning franchise and one of the most-loved developers in the industry. Bioware was riding high after this success. But then Electronic Arts bought Bioware.
Wait, that's not true.
EA bought Bioware in October, and Mass Effect was released in November. The reason it wasn't an EA title was because Microsoft fronted the money. That's also why it is still only available on Xbox 360 and PC.
2010
Bioware released Mass Effect 2, which was simultaneously revered and despised for the same reasons: the removal of some RPG mechanics and improved shooting. I'm not going into what I think about the game, but I will say it was the beginning of the hatred that Bioware and Mass Effect would receive.
With this game developed under EA supervision, many fans saw them as the reason it was "dumbed down." EA's reputation for appealing to the lowest-common denominator and preference to hit release dates fueled their fire, but the game was mostly loved and devoid of controversy.
2011
Dragon Age II is released and the shitstorm begins. While it garnered good reviews, it was this game that got Bioware fans largely angered. Two game in a row, they saw their favorite company and franchises getting "dumbed down," and now they had a whole container of gasoline for their flames. They derided it for many of the same reasons as they derided Mass Effect 2: simplified RPG mechanics, a lackluster story and a greater emphasis on combat. It even got to the point where EA Games Label President Frank Gibeau acknowledged the fans' disappointment over the direction Dragon Age II took, and proclaimed: "As we think about where we take the franchise next, we?re going to take that into consideration and really engage them?
Bioware tried to coo reassuringly to fans that the studio worked for their fans.
2012
Mass Effect 3 comes out and you can't go to any gaming site without encountering the controversies tied to it. The most recent, and biggest one, is the ending. Or endings. Bioware has caved into fan pressure to change the endings. Fans made a petition and then took Bioware to the Federal Trade Commission on a false advertising complaint.
Over the past few years, Bioware's relationship with fans has gotten so volatile that it resulted in a lawsuit. Fans distrusted Bioware, and Bioware's acquisition by EA is what started it all. The games themselves came second, initially. Bioware then didn't stomp this in the ground and just say "we are artists, these are our works. We can't please everybody, no matter what we do." They just placated them, mindlessly, like children.
Through miscommunication, childishness, patronization, and EA's reputation, the relationship between Bioware and its fans has become adversarial and completely unhealthy. Unhealthy for the industry, for the games, the medium and for everybody involved.
