#that BioWare studio update was bullshit

[yali-the-sloth]

Never thought BioWare ending would feel so… anticlimactic. Guess all of my strong emotions got burned out on trying to wrap my head around DATV and I no longer have spoons to give. Because yeah, the only thing I can say about this new round of lay offs is that it tracks. And if I’m being honest with myself I can’t even blame EA in this particular instance. How many chances is too many?

[mistresstrevelyan]

Okay one more time:

Dragon Age: That article was published on April 1st. NDAs exist. DAI was 2014′s GOTY. 1+1 equals 2, not 3.

Mass Effect: KOTAKU is not a reliable source. NDAs exist. Pre-development and early development cycles are NEVER shared outside the studio. The ME:A team is actively engaging with the fans and actively supporting the game through patches and updates. ME:A sold very well despite the reviews and fandom reacting the way they did (The general gaming audience doesn’t care about either) and the game is earning good will rapidly. 

In GENERAL:

We haven’t had news of DA4 in 2 years and no SP DLC for ME:A either, you say?

There were 3+ years between ME1+2. 4+ years between DAII and DAI. 5 years between The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3. Six years and still no TES in sight? Think these franchises were iced too? No? There ya go!

SP DLC for ME:A? 

Here is how a dev’s Road Ahead works:

You tick every box before creating new boxes. (MP stuff is different, don’t get that confused)

What does ME:A’s Road Ahead look like according to its Lead Designer and Lead Producer?

- Focus two months worth of dev time bugfixing/updating/enhancing the game based on player feedback. This includes the mlm updates they stated they are absolutely still committed to. 

Have these two months passed yet? No. The game hasn’t even been out yet for two months. Has Gamble (The Lead Producer) hinted at further SP stuff? He did, in an interview with Forbes.

So what’s going on?

Hostile press releases a doomsday article on a day when a dev releases a major patch to a divisive game, a patch that fixes a magnitude of reported issues. So both the fandom & the other outlets focus on KOTAKU’s “inside sources” instead of what BioWare is actually & actively saying and doing.

But everything seems to focus on the new IP! 

BioWare has always been divided into teams and devs migrating after a huge project is NORMAL. 

The new IP will obviously come out BEFORE the next ME (Even IF that’s in 2019), so of course it takes precedence. Also, new IPs are MONSTERS to get right and demand far more than the continuation of an existing IP. 

Teams downsize (But note that there were no reports of layoffs, KOTAKU had to actually correct their bullshit there) when the focus shifts to patching/DLC. That too is completely NORMAL.

Breathe, guys, BioWare is fine. Dragon Age and Mass Effect are most likely fine. Don’t let KOTAKU or ANYONE crush your enjoyment. Ignore them. Focus on what’s coming. Continue giving feedback to the devs and enjoy the games you play.