EA's Frank Gibeau (never far from a headline nowadays) has spoken out against claims that the publisher has ultimate control over BioWare's present and future efforts. According to him, the studio will have EA's backing whether it decides to make Mass Effect 4 or strikes out in a completely new direction.
"If he wants to do something different, a new IP, he'll have our backing as well. He's a profoundly talented guy. He's got our confidence. And the audience loves him. So that's how it really works."
Nice to hear EA welcome the thought of new IP from an internal studio, given Gibeau's earlier assertion that the market doesn't reward new IP this late in the cycle. Is BioWare crafting one of your three to five next generation projects, Frank?
Gibeau also flat-out denied the suggestion that EA had anything to do with Mass Effect 3's much-berated ending, which has since been expanded via free DLC. "Did EA intervene and say, 'Hey Casey, you've got a really interesting ending here to [Mass Effect 3], you're probably going to cause some fans to get upset? No, we didn't do that.
"Casey is an artist. He made a choice about the story that he [and the team] wanted to tell as related to Mass Effect 3. And we didn't intervene."
"It's the same thing with PopCap, it's the same thing with how we reinvigorated [SimCity studio] Maxxis," he went on. "It's the same thing with DICE. The way it actually really works is those guys report to me and they run their own individual businesses.
"They have their own individual creative choices. I will give them editorial feedback from time to time. But most of [my] time is spent doing research with customers and fans and understanding what's happening, and understanding how to make our games better."
Here's what we want from Mass Effect 4, assuming the game gets made - if this interview with BioWare's Mike Gamble is any indication, a prequel exploring the origins of the races may be in store. And here are two enormous alternative Mass Effect 3 endings.
17 comments so far...
Bezza89 on 11 Sep '12 said:
Good stuff, though I'd disagree that the audience loves Casey 'Awesome' Hudson. New IP, detective story, set in same universe?
I just want a really good sherlock holmes-ish game.
CunningSmile on 11 Sep '12 said:
Would that not be sort of like me getting home from work and sitting down to a game about tax?
Johnbhoy69 on 11 Sep '12 said:
They could take the franchise in 1 of 2 ways, they could make a prequel solo title or trilogy about the first contact war, which I think would be pretty cool. The bigger challenge is to create a continuation set X number of years after ME3. Wold Bioware take on the challenge of having to create multiple different experiences to reflect the choices at the end of ME3??
Ive read the leviathan DLC implies that there are worse things than Reapers hiding in dark space?
If true a direct continuation would be pretty cool too
Bezza89 on 11 Sep '12 said:
Based on Lair of the shadow broker and Leviathon someone is obsessed with point and press a detectiving - bioware have previously said they're interested in making a detective story game so it's not too far fetched. Taxes lol, only if we get the option of doing them corruptly.
Alaric14 on 11 Sep '12 said:
Some of you may remember I was pretty vocal about ME3's ending when it happened, but I'm not one of the conspiracy theory weirdos who seem to think EA wrecks everything. I believe their presence has an effect on developers to some extent (they're a major publisher and backer; they have to), though what this effect is from project to project is entirely debatable.
I'd be very happy to see another game based off the Mass Effect universe. It would give BioWare a chance to formulate an entirely new set of gameplay mechanics, put a new team of writers together, and recapture some of the fans who felt let down by recent experiences.
Decent_Jam on 11 Sep '12 said:
I want Mass Effect meets Phantasy Star Online, then I can die happy.
Anyway in terms of the point in hand, don't you love the way he says they report to him, like he is the ruler of a large Battlefield...
...too soon?
Bezza89 on 11 Sep '12 said:
I'd agree, they definitely are the ones putting co-op/multiplayer and therefore passes in everything, other than that I see everything as their (developers) ideas, certainly with regards to story, it's nothing to do with EA, unless it's about murdering babies and EA, like every other publisher would step in and say, hang on - let's make them co-op babies?
SidTheSloth on 11 Sep '12 said:
Your wish is their command - although no promises on the good part, heard jack about this one either: The Testament Of Sherlock Holmes
Do it for KotoR...!
Do it for Battlefront...!
CunningSmile on 12 Sep '12 said:
That would be cool.
It would be nice to see the other side of the law, hang out on Omega and generally be a Han Solo-esque smuggler, maybe give us a story where we are framed for a crime MUCH bigger than we normally commit and end up on every bounty hunters list from Omega to Earth.
For those that have read them I basically want the Ketty Jay novels transplanted to ME...or just the Ketty Jay novels.
FishyGinger on 12 Sep '12 said:
It's always shown shepard bringing the other races together, I think a spin-off game where you play as the other races during the war. Spec ops missions with asari and salarian teams, front line war with krogans, mad car chases with hanar and the unearthing of ancient quagaar warriors as turians.
ItchyRash on 12 Sep '12 said:
Chasing Elcor through the streets
schwepterbrowser on 12 Sep '12 said:
YoungTobias on 13 Sep '12 said:
If Gibeau was more honest, the statement would have read: "EA has no interest in making Mass Effect 4 anymore, because we and Bioware shat the bed so badly trying to keep the series open-ended with ambiguous non-sequitors and utterly betraying the promises made to customers for months before release on the nature of the ending that we've essentially pissed away the goodwill of everyone we got on-board with Mass Effect 2, and we don't have enough of a hardcore fanbase left after ME2 was essentially a Gears of War clone with better characters. There's no life left in the series but we have Bioware under contract so we have to have them doing something, and Dragon Age 3 has been more or less met with indifference, so we're putting the pressure on them now to come up with a new IP that we can fleece for all its worth. Be sure to buy our online sports pass!"
Actually, the natural solution would be to let Bioware try to salvage Ultima.
Bonescrubs on 14 Sep '12 said:
I agree with YoungTobias, though I suspect EA believe the whole ME3 debacle damaged the franchise to a point that a fourth game might not be viable either commercially or financially. And if it's true that ME3 was pushed out the door early - complete with bugs and that frankly unfinished ending - then EA have only themselves to blame.
FishyGinger on 14 Sep '12 said:
If that's true then it's a shame, I thought all 3 games were excellent and the universe they created was well done and needed to be expanded further.
Anyone thinking the ending ruined all the games is clearly bipolar and shouldn't have a say in any matter other than what flavour frube they want to suck.
CunningSmile on 14 Sep '12 said:
My girlfriend IS bipolar and liked the endings.
FishyGinger on 14 Sep '12 said:
I'm sorry for your loss. Does she like frubes?
I kid really. My ex was an alcoholic with ocd and anxiety problems, beat that one! Shame because I really liked her. She did like some decent games too.