GamesRPGDragon AgeDragon Age 415-year Mass Effect and Dragon Age veteran says people join BioWare “to build a story-focused, single-player RPG” - so we probably won’t see a repeat of AnthemWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRPGDragon AgeDragon Age 415-year Mass Effect and Dragon Age veteran says people join BioWare “to build a story-focused, single-player RPG” - so we probably won’t see a repeat of AnthemWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: EA)
A veteran of Mass Effect and Dragon Age with 15 yearsBioWareexperience has defended the work the studio did on its biggest flop, but says thatDragon Age: The Veilguardwill return to the company’s RPG roots.
Speaking to Edge magazine, The Veilguard creative director John Epler said that BioWare is “a studio that has always been built around digging deep on storytelling and roleplaying.” That’s something that he’s played a major part in across his 15+ years at the studio, having contributed to all three Dragon Age games, as well as Mass Effect 2. But it’s also something he saw BioWare drift away from with its 2019 effort, the short-lived and poorly-received live service game Anthem.
“I’m proud of a lot of things on Anthem,” Epler says. “But at the end of the day we were building a game focused on something we were not necessarily proficient at. For me and the team, the biggest lesson was to know what you’re good at and then double down on it. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Don’t try to do a bunch of different things you don’t have the expertise to do.”
Epler goes on to say that “a lot of the people on this team came [to BioWare] to build a story-focused, single-player RPG.” Thankfully, he says, that’s what the team is returning to with The Veilguard.
“The form The Veilguard has taken is, in a lot of ways, the form that we were always pushing towards. There was that moment where we really settled on ‘this is a single-player, story-focused RPG - and that’s all it needs to be’.”
In that instance, reports suggested a substantial degree of staff turnover, after developers who arrived at Arkane to make games like Dishonored ended up making a very different game instead. BioWare’s emphatic return to its RPG roots is a dramatic bucking of this unfortunate trend - and it’s probably good news forMass Effect 5, too.
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard won’t let you control your companions because you can’t handle it: “This is a much higher actions-per-minute game.”
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard directors say they would’ve loved to explore “what lies beyond the sea” and add new classes in the DLC we’re never getting
Dragon Age: The Veilguard directors say they would’ve loved to explore “what lies beyond the sea” and add new classes in the DLC we’re never getting
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Disney Plus' new Spider-Man show is no longer canon in the MCU because it was “not fun” to put limitations on its story
Disney Plus' new Spider-Man show is no longer canon in the MCU because it was “not fun” to put limitations on its story
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
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Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
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5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
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Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
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1
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2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
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4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
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5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”