There may yet be some hope for BioWare properties like Mass Effect and Dragon Age, as some former members of the company are hinting at buying the rights to them. Late last month, RPG fans were saddened by the announcement that BioWare was being shut down in the wake of EA’s recent buyout – which also meant that the in-development Mass Effect: Universe has been shelved nearly 6 years after it was first revealed.
Fans have since rallied to save the Mass Effect franchise with petitions and social media hashtags as promising tidbits about what the next game would have been like surfaced – but there is still no sign of these efforts being successful. That isn’t to say that EA has abandoned Mass Effect completely; new merchandise was released to celebrate N7 Day, and Amazon’s live-action Mass Effect series is still in development. However, many would rather have a new game.
BioWare Co-founder Trent Oster Wants To Buy Mass Effect
The campaign to save Mass Effect has even caught the ear of Trent Oster, one of BioWare’s original co-founders, and he has started mulling over ways to acquire the studio and its many iconic IP on Twitter over the past week or so. He’s noted that the challenge (aside from getting together enough money and EA being willing to sell) would be putting together the right development team and meeting fan expectations.
One of the first names Oster suggested for this hypothetical new BioWare was James Ohlen, a creative director for the first two Baldur’s Gate games, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age: Origins, and Neverwinter Nights. Ohlen himself later responded to his inquiries by saying yes to the chance of returning to some of BioWare’s big franchises.
Oster has since continued discussing the process behind possibly buying BioWare on social media, prompting figures like Canadian Member of Parliament Don Davies to speak out in support of his plans. We can’t be certain that these plans will actually lead to the return of BioWare and games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age remain to be seen, but it’s encouraging to know that people from the developer’s storied past are willing to come together and bring back these legendary franchises.
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