EA Is Going To Kill BioWare

The future seems pretty clear: EA is going to ruin Dragon Age 4 and kill BioWare.

[LJO1989]

2007 wants it headline back

[2pacalypsenow]

2007 EA was actually good.

[Shikoku]

No it wasn't EA hasn't been good since the 16bit yes

[Sophisticated_Chap]

EA was awesome pretty much through all of last gen, and honestly, I would say that it was the golden age for EA:

- Burnout: Paradise
- Bad Company
- Bad Company 2
- Battlefield 3
- Battlefield 4
- Battlefield 1943
- Mass Effect 1
- Mass Effect 2
- Mass Effect 3
- Medal of Honor: Airborne
- Dante's Inferno
- Mirror's Edge
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008
- Need 4 Speed: Hot Pursuit
- Crysis
- Crysis 2
- Dead Space
- Dead Space 2
- Skate
- Plant vs Zombies
- Dragon Age
- Dragon Age 2
- Army of Two

[SkatterBrain]

forgot Mercenaries 2 and The Saboteur

[WraithSpire]

A developer as large as EA always had "some" good games. Even I have some EA favorites however...

EA was "bad news" even in the early 2000's. They bled their franchises dry and tainted whatever they touched. They were never really that high quality even back then. They got their money by making every sports game imaginable, Sims, and games for any blockbuster hit such as Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Basically make anything and crank them out as fast as possible. "Passion Project" and EA did not go together in the same sentence.

This gave EA tons of money and they started buying up beloved studios and running them in into the ground. Now that I'm in my late twenties and have experienced a company buyout I understand how major corporations can screw so much up. Endless stress and boneheaded calls by upper management. Goodbye Bioware, RIP

[UltraNova]

@shophisticated

I'd bet you that if Surprise Mechanics were such an industry affliction back then, EA would be leading the way. That said, I have to admit thats a very extensive, dare I say high quality portfolio EA had last gen with some exceptions of course.

As for EA dissolving BW, if DA4 doesn't turn out to be a massive success both in terms of units sold and sustained online revenue I can definitely see EA downsizing BW or even terminating them.

[DEEHULK88]

Sophisticated_Chap Mass Effect was already a planned trilogy for 360 and PC before EA bought them.

[3-4-5]

Yea it was. Fifa 06/07 was awesome.

[porkChop]

EA was actually awesome from 2007 til around 2009 or 2010. They were taking risks with new IP and putting out great games.

[Fluttershy77]

2 years? 3? and then they suddenly changed direction?
I don't think so

[porkChop]

That's literally what happened though. Modern Warfare 2 broke records in late 2009. In late 2010 EA started going after the COD money, which is why BF3's campaign was a straight rip of COD's campaign style. That's where things really started to go wrong.

[SonyStyled]

Dead space, Skate, Bad Company

[Dom_Estos]

Maybe even before that. Remember, they formed EA Big in the PS2 era, and they made some quality games as well.

[ThatDudeMunkee]

EA hasn't been all that great since the release of Bad Company 2. Let's be real here.

[criticalkare]

Well duh anything EA touches its inevitable....

[harmny]

Then why do they have so much money?

[zodiac909]

Cause most of the games they make appeal to people who have no idea how scummy they are, and the type of people who dont mind dropping hundreds on microtransaction..

[psuedo]

They acquire game studios dry them out, and get rid of people they don't need, and put the rest in their main studios or something like that is what people will tell you.

[WraithSpire]

As pseudo said "They acquire game studios dry them out". After a major purchase corporations want to see profits immediately. So endless sequels, less risk, and quality goes down as EA has never been a passion project developer.

As for how they got their money in the first place: Sports. EA made every sports game imaginable. Nascar, Madden, NCAA, NHL, NBA, Tiger Woods PGA, FIFA, etc (no way am I going to list them all). On top of that Hollywood video game deals for popular movies. All of which were pumped out at breakneck speed.

[Cobra951]

Organized crime has lots of money too. Doesn't make it something good for the rest of us.

[CP_Company]

bioware is already dead. people are just ignorant to accept that.

[Anon1974]

Not counting digital sales, Dragon Age Inquisition moved over 5 and a half million copies. Mass Effect Andromeda sold over 2.5 million. Star Wars The Old Republic is still going strong. Even Anthem has generated over $100 million in revenue on the PS4 alone, despite not hitting sales targets. I don't know what qualifies a "dead studio" in your world, but certainly selling millions of games doesn't seem like a studio in trouble to me.

[Sam Fisher]

Doesnt matter, the consumption of ea as a whole guzzle those millions like water. Your company keeps growing and growing til either its peaked or crumbles. Which one of these you think ea will go through if not careful?

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Bioware is gone already except in name and Respawn is joining them in the future

[scoot_n_loot]

Apex is probably EA's biggest game right now, not sure how you figure Respawn is going anywhere.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

EA is destroying the studio dignity

[scoot_n_loot]

While that may be an emotional appeal, it doesn't mean anything while they're busy winning.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

@Scoot
Lol, they're winning but being hated by the gaming community and people who are making them win so...

[scoot_n_loot]

Again a meaningless generalization. Apex is enjoying a ton of success, haters are practically a fart in the wind.

[yoshatabi]

Really? Do you not see all the people complaining about Apex and leaving the game? Also criticizing respawn. Do you live under a rock? It's definitely going somewhere

[scoot_n_loot]

How exactly do you observe such a phenomenon? Must take some genius method to track the gaming habits of millions of people across several continents.

Personally I'm more interested in credible, quantifiable metrics.

https://www.fool.com/invest...

"The Sims 4 and Apex Legends were mostly responsible for the improvement in live services. There are 8 million to 10 million people logging in to play Apex Legends every week. COO Blake Jorgensen said, "That's huge for us on almost any game that we see, and we'll continue to take advantage of that and keep them engaged playing every day."

[XiNatsuDragnel]

@Scoot

Again, doesn't matter people are criticizing of Respawn and EA are under fire again.

[scoot_n_loot]

Money and huge player numbers dont matter? Well now I've heard everything.

[Knightofelemia]

EA is going to kill Bioware lol where have you been hiding? EA killed Bioware the moment they bought Bioware that was Bioware's death sentence.

[Anon1974]

And yet Bioware is still selling millions of titles. Go figure.

[Knightofelemia]

Anthem took a nose dive pretty fast and ME Andromeda blew up before reaching the moon

[Sgt_Slaughter]

You can sell a few million copies and still be a disappointment. Anthem and Andromeda sold pathetic amounts compared to what they were projecting to make, so they are big flops and cost EA tons of money.

[rlow1]

Bullfrog was one of my favorite developers until they disappeared behind the veil of EA.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Among other great developers. Mine was Westwood Studios.

[Shane Kim]

Westwood here too.

[RedDevils]

Big Westwood fan here too.

[Giblet_Head]

Pandemic Studios for me. Will never get another Mercenaries or a proper Battlefront again.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Pandemic really stung me 😭

[Yui_Suzumiya]

R.I.P. Visceral 😭

[BlaqMagiq1]

They already have

[Brave_Losers_Unite]

EA = Real life version of hell.

[Cernunnos]

They already did. The current Bioware is not Bioware.

[Anon1974]

People have been saying this every few months for over a decade now.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

But look at the quality of Bioware now as opposed to 10 years ago. I'd take Mass Effect 2 over Anthem any day.

[shaenoide]

Isn't it the case already ?

[Inzo]

Is going to? Lol, try "already have".

[thatguyhayat]

Going to? Aren't they already dead

[Anon1974]

Not even close. Dragon Age Inquisition and Mass Effect Andromeda sold millions of copies. As of Feb 2019, Anthem had reportedly generated over $100 million in digital revenue alone on the PS4. Bioware isn't going anywhere. Even if EA cut ties, the studio would continue on without them.

[jbull]

Bioware are screwed, the producer of Dragon Age 4 has left so I have already resigned myself to the fact that DA4 if it gets released at all will underwhelm.

[Anon1974]

They said the same thing when their original founders retired. Studio is still an absolute powerhouse.

[jbull]

But the quality of the games though are lacking, then you have Corporate EA forcing/designing games based on loot boxes and microtransactions.
The fact that EA refused Bioware's request to make a KOTOR 3 says it all. A developer who specializes in RPG's is refused by EA to develop a game fans have been longing for.

[Nodoze]

A powerhouse? Have you played any of their recent titles? They may be shipping product but the quality has gone WAY down. Anthem is barely a game at all.

[FITSniper]

It's now run and developed by people more interested in social justice messages than quality games.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

Bioware's issues date far back before EA came in. Bioware had abusive practices to their workers and the "Bioware magic" is simply forcing and will themselves at the last minute to pull through to make the games that we agree that are good. Stress casualties, incompetent leaders. I had no idea Jade Empire and Mass Effect 1 were made in blood and depression. Damn near makes me sick thinking about it.

EA needs to do something with Bioware because DA4 will be made in blood once again. I don't believe they're gonna change if they have the same management it doesn't always work that way they need a completely new leaders in their with new policies.

[Anon1974]

Complete nonsense. Prior to EA coming in, Bioware was listed as one of the best employers in Alberta (where they're situated and where I live). They made that list every single year. They probably still would be top of the list but now they're not considered and "Albertan company" due to EA owning them. While certainly the culture has shifted over the years (and the stress on the company during Gamergate and beyond has been sickening), Bioware is very well regarded by the development community in Edmonton.

[dadavis1992]

Could you link to a source or article about the development of ME1 and Jade Empire? I’m genuinely curious.

[battlegrog]

I hope EA rebrands soon. Everyone needs. Re brand at some point.

[UltraNova]

Not happening, online monetization is now far far more lucrative and important to companies like EA than any fan sentimentality.

[SprigganN4G]

Eventually EA will be EA Sports again. They are going to kill EVERY DEVELOPER under their wings and make only FIFA, MADDEN, NBA LIVE, NHL, NCAA, UFC and MAYBE a new Fight Night.

[CrimsonWing69]

BioWare killed BioWare. A game 10 years in development and you couldn’t even come up with what the game was going to be? EA did what any publisher would do in that scenario, they demanded BioWare to produce results.

Yea, if I were EA I’d definitely be firing some folks.

[WiiU-Dude]

Creed, Nickelback sells millions and millions of albums...yet everyone claims to hate them. Call of Duty is the top selling game every year, yet everyone hates Call of Duty...well now every one is claiming they love them again with this new Modern Warfare. And Apex. Easily EA's biggest property at the moment. My friends list at any given time shows most playing Apex (or Fortnite). Yet everyone wants to bag Respawn and EA. ( I do too over Microtransactions, but I'm referring to the game right now). I happen to enjoy everything listed here inspite the hate. EA overall makes me sick, but I like Apex. My point is stop talking about doom and gloom when something is white hot popular. It is silly. (Let the down votes rain upon me!! LOL.)

[Anon1974]

Codswallop.

[Vanfernal]

Bioware killed Bioware.

[isarai]

Doesn't matter anymore, anyone who was part of the "Bioware Magic" is long gone by now.

[Smokehouse]

BioWare is dead. Was it due to EA? Probably. But EA is also the only thing keeping them on life support. Why they disbanded visceral and continue to back this failed social experiment is one question that will always bother me.

[smashman98]

I actually think there's a good chance that EA is going to step back and let bioware make an amazing single player game with DA 4. And I also think it's possible that this will be one of their best games ever. To be honest if it doesn't end up being game of the year material they may be on their way out after.

[OneEyedSteve]

EA was Awesome pretty much all last Gen, this Gen... Definitely not.

[Artemidorus]

Already happened EA are dragging a dead donkey.

[PiNkFaIrYbOi]

Going to kill? I think that boat has already sank.

[Godmars290]

"Going to"?

[badboyz09]

Nooooooo not EA. (fake Voice)

[Thundercat77]

EA has killed Bioware already!

[yoshatabi]

Correct me if I'm wrong. But didn't they already do that?

[zodiac909]

EA gets devs to make games with bs business practices, does not give them enough development time, sees that their games are received terribly, proceeds to shut company down..

[Nodoze]

Correction, Bioware is going to kill Bioware. They already have. They F'd up Mass Effect, pissed away all potential that Anthem had, and now too they will destroy Dragon Age. They will have nothing left, and we will see the Austin Studio closed VERY VERY soon, followed by the Edmunton studio. Bioware is a dead studio walking.

[SlagWolf]

Bioware has been dead since Dragon Age 2. It’s all been down hill after that. Bioware is so dead and useless that even if they announced Star Wars KOTOR 3 I wouldn’t care at all and I use to love KOTOR

[Deeke]

"EA is going to let BioWare kill itself". Fixed that for you.

[Segata]

It's already dead. Has been for a few years.

[Tross]

Going to? They already have.

[Nerdmaster]

Is anyone surprised? EA kills everything it touches.
And to be fair, the only great Dragon Age was DA: Origins. I tried to play each one of the sequels, but they were all terrible. Ditching the strategy of the first game for a more action oriented gameplay ruined the series.

[mandingo]

Already dead

[DillyDilly]

EA is gonna kill all of them

[Poopmist]

The founders of Bioware retiring may have killed them just as much as EA buying them.

[AllMightyFox]

How can EA kill something that's already dead ???? … sure it was EA that committed the crime, but it's past tense, they're DOA, let the coroner take the carcass

[AK91]

They already have

[indysurfn]

Can't believe people are STILL defending EA.

[AnubisG]

Going to you say?

[ramiuk1]

as soon as they created the online pass(project ten dollar) in 2009 they ruined gaming

[alexkarkar]

they killed it already. a little late to the party, aren't you?

[Blu3_Berry]

Bioware killed themselves. EA will just do the finishing blow.

[JokerBoy422]

I think Bioware is doing a good enough job of that without EA's help. EA is just exasperating a preexisting issue.

[Father__Merrin]

EA always put out good games million enjoy. a vocal minority on the internet means jack all

[BrainSyphoned]

You can’t killed what is already dead. You also can’t beat a dead horse but EA is fine with selling the glue byproduct to addicts who no longer can use reason.

[Spenok]

Today on, "Baseless, fearmongering accusations..."

[Imortus_san]

"EA Is Going To Kill BioWare" - bullshit, BioWare have always done games full of bug's and problems, they have been worse and worse as time goes by, even before the were bought by EA.

[william_cade]

EA will get the fatality, If DA4 is going to be a live service.

[bluefox755]

Going to? You can't kill what's already dead.

[BigKev45]

Bioware is already killed.

[Twinblade]

Maybe Sony can buy Bioware to save it and turn it around.

[MrPerfect813]

Shurgs, I mean after Andromeda and especially after Anthem....Does it really matter...and with Apex coming out and being decent, maybe Bioware should get the Ax....

[DrShoe]

Press F for Bioware

[FiLTHY ESKiMO]

From my understanding BioWare is already dead. The old developers left, and EA hired a diverse bunch of unqualified people who can't handle the work load and take two months sick leave for "stress".

[lellkay]

"is going to"

[Exvalos]

Bioware is going to kill Bioware, as easy as it is to blame EA, truth is Bioware is a shell of its former self.

[xRacer74x]

BOOOO, Love how you blame EA for a developers mistakes.,

[metalgod88]

In a way, it already has. While Bioware might exist in name, but the people who made it what it is have since left the company.