Drew Karpyshyn on joining Archetype and leaving BioWare

[Cranster]

"But as we grew and became more successful, things changed. We became more corporate. We were less able to make what we loved, and the teams were pushed to create games based on market research rather than our creative instincts and passions. My dream job became just a job, and I lost the enthusiasm and excitement I once had."

That sucks really. I'm cool with them having the financial backing of a huge publisher. But you really do end up with the high probability of losing the soul the developer once had.

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You could see that even with Mass Effect 2 as alot of RPG elements were removed. ME3 was the straw that broke the camels back for me as a fan though, not only because of the false promises/marketing regarding the ending, but other elements of the story, cut content sold as DLC and the boring tacked on multiplayer implemented only to sell loot boxes.

 

[Aokiji]

Mark Darrah and Patrick Weekes gives me sliver of hope.

Plus Jedi Order recent success.

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just remember the "where;s your ultimate team?" quote lol. as for JFO, it's a game EA basically paid for as is. using an outside engine & no multiplayer or monetization components. dont hold your breath for anything from jfo dev to carry over the bioware

 

[Dazraell]

Karpyshyn was a writer in my most favourite BioWare games, hoping that Archetype new game will be a successful one.

 

[Kaim Argonar]

Wizards of the Coast is really making a push these last few years towards video gaming, aren't they? MtG:A, commissioning Baldur's Gate 3 to Larian, stablishing this studio... It feels like they're doing much more than what they used to.

 

[Dr. Ludwig]

WOTC has been picking up some serious talent. Holy shit!

 

[FlintSpace]

I have full confidence in Drew. His own books, his Mass effect/Starwars books and ofcourse writing in the game was excellent.

Lets hope Archetype can deliver AA quality sci fi game. Would be a letdown if its anything less tbh

 

[Femto0]

Interesting i'll keep an eye on their game for sure

 

[JustJavi]

Reading those names, wow. I'm definately looking forward to see what they create.

 

[doemaaan]

I thought that name looked familiar. I loved the Mass Effect books! (Never read anything passed Retribution). Looking forward to whatever it is they're working on and I REALLY hope they can recapture the magic that made DA and ME so special.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

Wizards of the Coast is D&D, right? Do they only do fantasy or do they have a line in sci-fi as well?

 

[ArkkAngel007]

Wizards of the Coast is D&D, right? Do they only do fantasy or do they have a line in sci-fi as well?

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Nothing sci-fi as of yet from them. They are owned by Hasbro, so there's potentially Transformers, but that's it. While there can be some echoes of Sci-fi in some D&D and MtG settings, it's still all magic based.

 

[Dandy]

I'm really excited to see where they go, especially with WotC behind them. Hopefully that means some D&D CRPGs down the line.

 

[Ushay]

Very, very excited to see what these guys can do. I just hope they get the budget they need to realise their vision.

Drew was the creative writer behind the original Mass Effect right?

 

[pochi]

Nice. Will be expecting something good from them.

 

[anexanhume]

It's pretty exciting to think they're building a strong foundation team at Archetype, and taking their time to build a new scfi RPG universe that, given assumed projections, will be a next generation game. Could be something special, with the right support.

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It has to be UE4, right? What else would they use.

 

[Foxnull]

He did a great job with the Mass Effect universe. Hoping this new universe will be as good as Mass Effect.

 

[Princess Bubblegum]

I don't see them having a whole lot of freedom under Hasbro in the long term.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

I am absolutely all for giving this team a chance. Bioware ain't what it used to be and if it has to do with veterans going elsewhere to make possibly smaller projects with more passion then I'm all in.

 

[Deleted member 2834]

A studio name is just a name. It's the talent behind it that makes all the difference in the quality of what they produce. I hope we could see spiritual successor to Original Bioware games.

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Divinity 2 is exactly that. You don't have to wait, it's just as good as BG2.

 

[LiS Matt]

I wasn't aware he'd gone back to Bioware in the first place, but I've liked the work of his that I've seen (like the tie in SWTOR books) so this will be something I'll follow a little more closely

 

[rras1994]

I wasn't aware he'd gone back to Bioware in the first place, but I've liked the work of his that I've seen (like the tie in SWTOR books) so this will be something I'll follow a little more closely

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He hadn't? He's done some contract work for them now and then but hasn't had an actual position in the company for 8 years so it's kinda weird he's bringing it up? I suppose though it's more likely to get promotion from gaming sites if he mentions BioWare as that's what he's most known for the the other stuff he's been doing in the last 8 years.

 

[shinobi602]

Wizards of the Coast is D&D, right? Do they only do fantasy or do they have a line in sci-fi as well?

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Nothing in sci-fi. This is an entirely new IP.

 

[SPRidley]

If this is a mass effect spiritual successor count me the fuck in.
Lets hope they can make a great RPG.

 

[Leviathan]

If only he'd get back to Star Wars. The Darth Bane trilogy is quality.

 

[Phellps]

I really admire his work, so I'm looking forward to see what else he's coming up with.

 

[Jegriva]

I wish we could have many small RPG written by Karpyshin. Something like The Banner Saga, for example.

 

[Jegriva]

I'll never be able to understand anyone who thinks DA2 was a positive move for the series. It was a thin veneer of Dragon Age over a poorly made, shallow action-RPG. It reused its own assets left and right, rewrote characters from the first game to make them 1 dimensional, and had a narrative that was not only a fraction of the scope of its predecessor, but had amateurish writing on top of it. It took everything interesting about DA:O and tossed it out or watered it down in favor of a quick follow up cash grab.

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There are, like, 3 minor characters in DAO that ends up in DA2. I wonder who are you referring to.

Isabela who had a cameo in DAO? The cameo of Flemeth? The cameo of Alistair? That templar that was in the tower in DAO?

 

[ResistCritical]

WotC (owned by Hasbro) hasn't jumped into console publishing yet- I wonder if it's going to be PC MMO or PC & mobile?

 

[Disclaimer]

There are, like, 3 minor characters in DAO that ends up in DA2. I wonder who are you referring to.

Isabela who had a cameo in DAO? The cameo of Flemeth? The cameo of Alistair? That templar that was in the tower in DAO?

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Probably Anders.

 

[Jegriva]

Probably Anders.

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Oh, yeah, Anders is batshit crazy in DA2. I had totally removed him from my memory. And he hosts Justice who was another fantastic character from Awakening.

 

[SavoyPrime]

You could see that even with Mass Effect 2 as alot of RPG elements were removed. ME3 was the straw that broke the camels back for me as a fan though, not only because of the false promises/marketing regarding the ending, but other elements of the story, cut content sold as DLC and the boring tacked on multiplayer implemented only to sell loot boxes.

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ME3 was the first time that I found myself getting ready to jump out of the boat. I had so much disappointment after finishing that one.

 

[Inugami]

By nature, market research can never do anything but retread ideas, it's got to be the most frustrating thing as a creative to be stuck in that system.