Mass Effect Franchise Changes Studios

[Fappy]

Looky here: http://blog.bioware.com/2012/11/12/an-update-from-bioware-montreal/

Apparently Bioware's Edmonton studio is handing over the reins to Montreal, who has a fairly decent track record as far as I can tell. So what do you guys think about this? Why the move? Speculate!

This coupled with Casey Hudson getting someone directly under him to help him out kind of gives me the idea that they (EA and/or Bioware) weren't entirely satisfied with how ME3 turned out. I personally hoping they can find a way to renew the franchise, but I will remain skeptical.

 

[Nimcha]

This coupled with Casey Hudson getting someone directly under him to help him out kind of gives me the idea that they (EA and/or Bioware) weren't entirely satisfied with how ME3 turned out.

Alternatively, that's what you already believed.

This looks quite good, I enjoyed the ME3 multiplayer and I'm curious where they're going to take the game next. I wonder though how much Mass Effect it's going to be without Shepard and if they're gonna make it a chronological sequel how they'll try to manage that.

 

[DustyDrB]

Maybe Edmonton already has a project. Didn't they say they are working on a new IP not too long ago?

As for the rest...ionno. I don't hate Casey Hudson. He fucked up ME3's ending something awful to the point that I won't play any game that takes place after ME3. But he also created Mass Effect in the first place, a series which has two games in my top ten (ME2 is my favorite game, and Mass Effect is in there somewhere). It's sort of like George Lucas, I guess. Despite the prequel trilogy woes, I still love the originals to death.

We'll see. I just hope they make the game happen before Mass Effect. There are a great number of stories they can do in that universe that don't require some huge epic war.

 

[Fappy]

This coupled with Casey Hudson getting someone directly under him to help him out kind of gives me the idea that they (EA and/or Bioware) weren't entirely satisfied with how ME3 turned out.

Alternatively, that's what you already believed.

You caught me. I should rephrase it to, "supports my theory".

This looks quite good, I enjoyed the ME3 multiplayer and I'm curious where they're going to take the game next. I wonder though how much Mass Effect it's going to be without Shepard and if they're gonna make it a chronological sequel how they'll try to manage that.

As much as I'd like to go back in time to see past events unfold I'd actually kind of prefer to see the universe move forward. How they're going to do that though... I honestly wouldn't mind them just making Destroy the canon ending of ME3, but I imagine a lot of people would be mad about that.

I also really enjoy the multiplayer (started playing again when Retaliation came out) and love what they have done with some of the gameplay design over the past 6 months. The store still sucks ass of course, but I attribute that to EA overhead... changing studios won't get rid of their unfortunate influence. My main concern is the new studio's adherence to lore. They have been incredibly loose with it in MP (though it has pretty much been established that MP is not 100% canon), but if they do still have as many ME1 vets on the team as the article seems to imply then there's hope yet.

 

[crazyrabbits]

The further they get this series away from the Terrible Two (Hudson and Walters), the better. It's not like the Montreal studio could do a worse job.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

So this is EA going all Reaper on Casey Hudson, huh?

"Casey, you have failed. We will find another way. Releasing control."

Didn't these guys also do all the DLC for ME2? Because their DLC was awesome. Kasumi's Stolen Memory is still one of my favorite missions in the entire Mass Effect trilogy.

Using Frostbite 2 sounds great. Hopefully that means the game won't be set in tiny corridors. Frostbite 2 allows for some huge levels. And if they decide to take this to the next gen, even better.

 

[Fappy]

So this is EA going all Reaper on Casey Hudson, huh?

"Casey, you have failed. We will find another way. Releasing control."

Didn't these guys also do all the DLC for ME2? Because their DLC was awesome. Kasumi's Stolen Memory is still one of my favorite missions in the entire Mass Effect trilogy.

Using Frostbite 2 sounds great. Hopefully that means the game won't be set in tiny corridors. Frostbite 2 allows for some huge levels. And if they decide to take this to the next gen, even better.

I believe they may have also done Lair of the Shadow Broker, which is my favorite piece of ME DLC next to Bring Down the Sky.

 

[DustyDrB]

So this is EA going all Reaper on Casey Hudson, huh?

"Casey, you have failed. We will find another way. Releasing control."

Didn't these guys also do all the DLC for ME2? Because their DLC was awesome. Kasumi's Stolen Memory is still one of my favorite missions in the entire Mass Effect trilogy.

Using Frostbite 2 sounds great. Hopefully that means the game won't be set in tiny corridors. Frostbite 2 allows for some huge levels. And if they decide to take this to the next gen, even better.

I believe they may have also done Lair of the Shadow Broker, which is my favorite piece of ME DLC next to Bring Down the Sky.

Bring Down the Sky is underrated. Other than the stupid Mako sections (I'm one of those people who'd rather spend 2 minutes scanning a planet than 30 minutes bouncing around in the Mako. But I generally hate driving in games, period), it was pretty great. Lair of the Shadow Broker is still my favorite bit of Mass Effect content, though.

 

[Fappy]

So this is EA going all Reaper on Casey Hudson, huh?

"Casey, you have failed. We will find another way. Releasing control."

Didn't these guys also do all the DLC for ME2? Because their DLC was awesome. Kasumi's Stolen Memory is still one of my favorite missions in the entire Mass Effect trilogy.

Using Frostbite 2 sounds great. Hopefully that means the game won't be set in tiny corridors. Frostbite 2 allows for some huge levels. And if they decide to take this to the next gen, even better.

I believe they may have also done Lair of the Shadow Broker, which is my favorite piece of ME DLC next to Bring Down the Sky.

Bring Down the Sky is underrated. Other than the stupid Mako sections (I'm one of those people who'd rather spend 2 minutes scanning a planet than 30 minutes bouncing around in the Mako. But I generally hate driving in games, period), it was pretty great. Lair of the Shadow Broker is still my favorite bit of Mass Effect content, though.

Totally agree about Bring Down the Sky. I still get excited to do it every time I play through ME1. I also don't mind the Mako

Liara's character arch actually started to make a bit of sense in Lair of the Shadow Broker, but it kind of started falling apart in ME3. I think they just forgot what they were doing with her after that DLC was finished

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I believe they may have also done Lair of the Shadow Broker, which is my favorite piece of ME DLC next to Bring Down the Sky.

Then there is still hope for this series.

 

[Thoric485]

So BioWare's biggest franchise has been moved out of Edmonton, where half their workforce is, to a smaller studio, contained inside an EA HQ.

I don't think this bodes well for the company.

 

[Muunokhoi]

The further they get this series away from the Terrible Two (Hudson and Walters), the better. It's not like the Montreal studio could do a worse job.

Oh believe me my friend I sure they could find a way just give them time.