We’re three weeks out from EA’s closure of BioWare, and while fans spent much of this past weekend celebrating and fighting for the company’s legacy for N7 Day, a lot of developers who have walked through the RPG studio’s doors over its 31 years are working on new stuff that you might be interested in right now.
Below is an incomplete list of some of the projects ex-BioWare developers are currently working on, and if you’re a BioWare alumnus who has something in the works you’d like to add, feel free to send me an email at [email protected] with the email title “Ex-BioWare Project: [Name of thing]” with details about what role you had at BioWare and which games you worked on while at the company, and I’ll get it in as soon as I’m able.
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic
Casey Hudson, the director of the original Mass Effect trilogy, is currently working on Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. The game was announced at last year’s Game Awards, and is an action RPG in development at Arcanaut Studios, which includes several BioWare veterans on staff.
Exodus
Archetype Entertainment is a studio founded by ex-BioWare developers James Ohlen, Chad Robertson, and Drew Karpyshyn, and it’s working on its own sci-fi shooter RPG called Exodus, which is due out on April 7.
Among Us Story: On Guard
Trick Weekes, writer on the Mass Effect trilogy and the latter two Dragon Age games, is now a writer on Among Us Story: On Guard, an upcoming narrative adventure game set in Innersloth’s social deduction series.
The Concierge
North Mist Studios is an indie studio composed of BioWare veterans that is currently rolling out The Concierge, an audio drama about “near-future Canadian spies and assassins.” You can find it streaming wherever you get your podcasts.
The Expanse: Osiris Reborn
Pathfinder and Warhammer 40k developer Owlcat Studios is working on an action RPG set in the Expanse universe, and David Gaider, the lead writer on the first three Dragon Age games, has confirmed he has assisted on the narrative side of things.
Spirit Crossing
Spirit Crossing appeared in last month’s Indie World showcase, and the cozy MMO has Emily C. Taylor, a senior designer on Anthem and lead designer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard, working on it.
Project D
Jon Renish, who left BioWare in 2023 as a technical director, is working on Half-Mermaid’s upcoming Project D, which has a lot of its details currently redacted on places like Steam, but we do know it’s going to be a horror game of some kind.
Camera Anima
Camera Anima is a point-and-click visual novel about a woman “trying to save her twin from a soul-stealing automaton.” It’s currently in development by EXP-resso Mutt, which includes Domini Gee, who worked with support team Keyword Studios on Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
Dogs Playing Dead
Tobyn Manthorpe, an artist and art manager at BioWare from 1997 to 2007, is working on a solo project called Dogs Playing Dead, which is described as “equal parts boardgame, arcade, and third-person shooter.”
The Eventide
The Eventide is the debut project from Studio Reset, a team made up of BioWare veterans. The game is a supernatural mystery in which player choices can affect what they find in their investigations.
Threads of Time
Andrew Oatway, former business intelligence developer at BioWare, is working as a principal game designer on turn-based RPG Threads of Time.
Hunter: The Reckoning – Deathwish
Chris Hepler, a writer on Star Wars: The Old Republic, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, is working on World of Darkness RPG Hunter: The Reckoning – Deathwish.
The Quantum Dawn
Sci-fi author Derek Kunsken was working on the now-canceled Mass Effect: Universe, and just released The Quantum Dawn, the fourth entry in his Quantum Evolution series, last week.
Studios working on secret stuff
- Broadcast Games: A team working on “friendslop” games co-founded by ex-BioWare cinematic designer Ken Thain.
- Iron Goblin: A team developing a cooperative RPG and “bringing creative expression to players and giving them the means to tell their own stories in an excitingly social fantasy realm.”
Reminder, if you’re an ex-BioWare developer reading this and want your game, studio, or project featured, shoot me an email with relevant information and your experience at BioWare.
