Eight years ago, BioShock creator Ken Levine started Ghost Story Games to create a new, unforgettable experience. Since then, the game has allegedly entered "development hell" and has seen multiple reboots and changes in direction.
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 developers discuss the huge success of Space Marine 2 and its effect on the series as a whole.
The latest game in BioWare’s fantasy role-playing series went through ten years of development turmoil
In early November, on the eve of the crucial holiday shopping season, staffers at the video-game studio BioWare were feeling optimistic. After an excruciating development cycle, they had finally released their latest game, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and the early reception was largely positive. The role-playing game was topping sales charts on Steam, and solid, if not spectacular, reviews were rolling in.
Its easy they called the die hard fans people in their nerd caves who will buy anything and then went woke to reach modern audiences....insulting the nerds in their caves along the way showing utter contempt for their fan base. very hapy it failed and any company who insults their fan base and treat their customers with contempt and insults, in future, i also hope fail.
It’s disappointing but not surprising to see what's happening with Dragon Age: The Veilguard and the broader situation at BioWare. The layoffs are tragic — no one wants to see talented developers lose their jobs. But when studios repeatedly create games that alienate their own fanbase, outcomes like this become unfortunately predictable.
There’s a pattern we’re seeing far too often: beloved franchises are revived, only to be reshaped into something almost unrecognizable. Changes are made that no one asked for, often at the expense of what originally made these games special. Then, when long-time fans express concern or lose interest, they’re told, “This game might not be for you.” But when those same fans heed that advice and don’t buy the game, suddenly they're labeled as toxic, sexist, bigoted, or worse.
Let’s be clear: the overwhelming majority of gamers have no issue with diversity, LGBTQ+ representation, or strong female leads. In fact, some of the most iconic characters in gaming — like Aloy, Ellie, or FemShep — are proof that inclusivity and excellent storytelling can and do go hand in hand. The issue arises when diversity feels performative, forced, or disconnected from the narrative — when characters or themes are inserted not to serve the story, but to satisfy a corporate DEI checklist. Audiences can tell the difference.
When studios chase approval from a vocal minority that often doesn’t even buy games — while simultaneously dismissing loyal fans who actually do — they risk not just the success of individual titles, but the health of their entire studio. Telling your core customers “don’t buy it if you don’t like it” is not a viable business strategy. Because guess what? Many of us won’t. And when the game fails commercially, blaming those very fans for not supporting it is both unfair and self-defeating.
Gamers aren’t asking for less diversity or less progress. We’re asking for better writing, thoughtful character development, and a respect for the franchises we’ve supported for decades. When you give people great games that speak to them — whether they’re old fans or new players — they will show up. But if you keep making games for people who don’t play them, don’t be surprised when those who do stop showing up
I thought the writing and character development were fine. Sometimes things just dont resonate with people.
Sector sat down with Glen Schofield—creator of Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol—during the Game Developers Session (GDS) in Prague to discuss the evolution of the game industry, the current challenges of AAA development, and why it's become so hard to get original ideas off the ground in today’s risk-averse environment.
It’s easy enough to say that, but why? It feels weird to me when developers say this but common sense would tell you everything about the idea itself should work.
The idea of the concept seems like a winner at whichever angle you look at it so why would publishers not greenlight it?
… it’s almost as if the majority of publishers are massively incompetent at their jobs. But there’s no surprise to anyone there.
Add this guy to the list of game directors who should have learned to be a team player and kept their ego in check along with Warren Spector, Peter Molyneux, Cliffy B, David Jaffe, and Tomonobu Itagaki.
Moar liek a Ghost Town Studio, amirite?
The team that made bioshock infinite should have never been stripped down to began with. Apparently AAA was too demanding at the time, yet Bioshock Infinite didn’t take 8 years to make! Studios get shutdown for not generating revenue.
A few developers have come out in defence of Ken Levine. They believe Jason Schreiers write up is baseless, unfounded and the result of some feud between Levine and Schreier just to take a swipe at him.
I respect that Schreier has uncovered some shite in the past but he's a try hard too. Doing his best to throw some dirt and see what sticks.
It's tough to tell what's going on here really. Maybe Ken isn't the easiest person to work for but then again maybe he just expects the best output from his developers. That doesn't immediately mean abuse in the workplace. You can see it in many different professions now. Any form of correction has the sensitive puppies up in arms. Maybe he's an Ass, that won't surprise me these days either.
There's two sides to this and we honestly don't know either of them. Schreier should keep his mouth shut until he has something a little more substantial than the trash he threw up on Bloomberg here, with no example or evidence to base it on.
No surprise here.