If Bioware's Anthem fails to deliver, is it time to split-up with EA?

As a big Bioware fan, Rossco looks at what happens if Bioware's Anthem fails to deliver and what it needs to work. Plus, the question if EA and Bioware are actually best for each other now.

[ArchangelMike]

Best quote from the article - "With EA having their own take on what gamers want going forward. I do wonder if what makes Bioware historically so good, is exactly what EA don’t want anymore... When Bioware hear EA walk around saying things like “gamers don’t like single-player, story-driven games anymore” and other such quotes (as the imperial march music plays in the background), they must be shuddering."

It's so true. Bioware and EA are just not good bedfellows anymore. I'm not hopeful for the future of Bioware if they stay with EA.

For the love of God EA, why haven't you let Bioware develop a proper story driven singleplayer Star Wars game? Have you forgotten that they made the best sci-fi game franchise in history - Mass Effect? It should have been the perfect storm. But oh no... rinse repeat loot/grind mtx shooter ftw /s

[Eonjay]

"With EA having their own take on what gamers want going forward."

The problem with this sentence is that EA doesn't care what gamers want at all. 'What we want' is automatically superseded by 'what makes EA the most money'.

[RememberThe357]

This couldn't be more wrong. EA wants to make games that every single human on the planet love and want to spend money on endlessly. They're completely delusional.

The problem is that the company is run by investment bankers and they wouldn't know a good game if it slapped them in the face. They're completely incompetent. They think some market research gives them all the answers to questions they don't know how to ask with zero context as to why consumers do what they do or who these consumers even are.

That's why they said gamers don't want single player games, they had market research that they didn't know how to read. They made stupid decisions, then blamed their workers for it. Fk them.

[Double_O_Revan]

"why haven't you let Bioware develop a proper story driven singleplayer Star Wars game? Have you forgotten that they made the best sci-fi game franchise in history - Mass Effect"

Not to mention they already did make easily one of the best Star Wars games, Knights of the Old Republic. It should've been a no brainer for EA once they originally got that Star Wars license.

[InTheZoneAC]

Bioware shares the same mentality as EA, even if separated there will be issues with either company.

[TheOtherMoon]

God, what you said it beautiful! What Bioware does and what EA want are two different operations.

[Relientk77]

It would be great if Bioware could separate from EA but I don't know if that's going to happen. Would like to see what they could do if they weren't tied to EA.

[annoyedgamer]

Bioware is just a shell with a face that EA wears.

[Hardiman]

You would think the studio that delivered Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect would be the go to for a new story driven Star Wars game. It boggles my mind with how out of touch EA is!

They are a cancer but it's not just them. I can think if s few who would probably fumble just as bad!

[Activemessiah]

Split up? you do know what EA does to their studios right?

[Double_O_Revan]

Can't help but remember the Arnold quote from Commando.
"Remember when I promised to kill you last?"
"Yea John you did!!"
"I lied!"
http://www.quickmeme.com/im...

[Bruh]

So we're not gonna put any blame on Bioware? They were given 6 years with complete creative freedom over this project and were never rushed to put the game on the market. The story about Andromeda's production also spills the true issue which is BIOWARE IS INCOMPETENT. They tried to make their version of Destiny WAY too late and didn't even make its story and end game style any different in fact much shittier than Destiny too...how is that supposed to be a hit? None of that is EA's fault

[Chaos_Order]

Just looked it up, and you're right, it was SIX YEARS in the making. Holy smokes... And to release to such a lukewarm reception is crazy.

[Paytaa]

All the major talent left the studio years ago.

[JEECE]

Yeah it kills me how much people bend over backward to act like Bioware is a top tier dev. Mass Effect was cool in a lot of ways (world and lore of that universe are basically unparalleled) but it never felt good to play. People's complaints with Andromeda were the complaints I had with ME1. However, even assuming for argument's sake that the earlier games were great, I don't know why people continued to hope for Anthem after Andromeda.

[Omegasyde]

I thought knights of the old the republic 1 and 2 was great.

Me 1 and 2 were also great.

[Rachel_Alucard]

The last decent game they made was Dragon age origins, but that was finished right before EA swooped in at the last few months before release and shoehorned in all their online crap. I've seen EA cite that one game they had the least influence in as their biggest hit. They don't talk about any of it's sequels or the mass effect series so that tells you all you need to know.

[harmny]

Bioflop. Lol at people blaming EA. Respawn made Apex and it's the rising star in gaming. Bioware just sucks

[Bruh]

Thank you perfect example, if EA is the devil who will forever screw gaming up, how does Respawn ( who is also under EA and has way more projects on them) still continue to drop great games. Titanfall 1, 2, Apex and no doubt the new Star Wars game as well. Zapella has a great team, Bioware is just ass and people use nostalgia more than common sense to understand that

[Mr_Writer85]

There are three easy wins for Bio Ware and EA

KOTOR 1&2 remaster

Port TOR to console

Make KOTOR 3

It would be interesting to see why neither Bioware or EA have done any of this.

[harmny]

Kotor 2 was made by obsidian

[Omegasyde]

^ i completely forgot about that.

[Mr_Writer85]

And? What's stopping EA making a remaster? Odsidian don't own the IP, Disney do.

[PiNkFaIrYbOi]

Very doubtful that EA will let that happen.

[jznrpg]

Yes please god

[TheSinsibleOne]

Question. Can bioware actually split from EA? Like Bungie.

[harmny]

No. EA owns them.

[TheSinsibleOne]

Shieeeet

[ECHOINFINITY]

There should be a publisher out there that supports rpg devs like bioware and CDPR and just let's them make amazing games. EA is pure trash on every level, and terrible for gaming.

[harmny]

You answered your own question. Cdpr is the only publisher making good AAA RPGs. Then you have smaller ones but Bioware has hundred of employees.

[gunnerboy8]

BioWare to join Sony would be an amazing match

[TheSinsibleOne]

I'd like them back at Microsoft. Xbox desperately need a great exclusive company. Plus biowares prime was then. But sony would be great too. Anywhere but Acti and EA

[harmny]

Bioware is just a name. The talent behind the games we love is not there anymore

[jznrpg]

Mass Effect and Dragon Age were great for the first games but EAs influence definitely hurt both series . Andromeda didn’t get full support and it shows . ME didn’t need multiplayer at all, what they did give was so basic . Dragon Age 2 was a huge disappointment compared to 1 and Inquisition was better but you could tell it was supposed to be an MMO and was quickly changed mid development so it did have some issues . Baldurs Gate and KoTOR are left dead and rotting by EA even though they were 2 of the best PC games of the time. Neverwinter Nights was also a great PC game but it’s just a f2p MMO right now . EA has money to make great games but their focus is money and that hurts BioWare. Just let them make the games they think will be good and generally the money comes with it .

[ziggurcat]

if it fails, it's time for EA to realize that the MP GaaS model isn't viable, and they should go back to making single player games.

[harmny]

Lol they own the biggest game in the world right now with Apex. Who's gonna convince them that gaas don't work?

[ziggurcat]

One game can’t sustain their entire business.

[Einhander1971]

EA won’t get a penny out of me until they change. But I know it won’t happen because they don’t give a shit about quality games for gamers. Its just suits running a company obsessed with just making money. Until the bubble bursts and the games stop selling.

[Tross]

I’d love it if they did, but I don’t think that’s possible. I’d love to be proven wrong though.

[Jon61586]

I hope EA drops them like Activision dropped bungie

[spwittbold]

Hopefully BioWare pulls a Bungie and they split from EA. Mass Effect was a fantastic Trilogy.

[FallenAngel1984]

EA doesn’t want to take any blame for their games underperforming. It’s everyone else’s fault but their own

[Knightofelemia]

The relationships between EA and Bioware are different from Activision and Bungie. EA out right owns Bioware Activision and Bungie were just working together. Kinda hard to split from a company if they out right own you. If anything to split from EA the original people who founded and created and worked for Bioware is if they leave and fire up a new studio that's one way to split from EA. The only other way to split from EA is if say a company like Capcom, Sony or Microsoft offers EA a lot of cash to buy Bioware and their ip's from EA and I don't see that happening either. Another way to split from EA is if EA decides to shutdown Bioware studios and puts their ip's on a shelf where they are forgotten.

[AK91]

I'm not sure how split ups works with companies (especially when said company is owned by EA) but I doubt Bioware is in the same financial position as Bungie where they can just decide to up and leave and somehow stay afloat.

[SlagWolf]

It wouldn’t matter any more. It isn’t just EA that’s killing Bioware it’s that all the talent they once had has moved on.
They are Bioware in name only

[thelaughingwiseman]

It is going to suck. Would Bioware be able to get their license back? Like Mass Effect. I hope they can successfully leave EA and hopefully show a path to keeping their studio name. So ex-Visceral people could come together and follow suite.

[TheColbertinator]

Bioware as its original incarnation is long gone. Last time I saw the studio at its best was when the original founders left. After EA wanted to build new studios with the Bioware name it was only a matter a time before the collapse of this once great studio began.

[DillyDilly]

Hopefully EA puts Bioware out of its misery soon & EA ends up with very few developers left & they end up just focusing on Sports, Call Of Duty & Battlefield