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Kotaku: Mass Effect on hiatus, most BioWare Montreal staff now at Motive, still on MP

dex3108

Member
Highlights:
  • The majority of BioWare Montreal's staff has been moved over to EA Motive, who is making Star Wars Battlefront 2's campaign, and a new open world IP.
  • The rest of the remaining staff are working on the multiplayer content for Mass Effect Andromeda, along with supporting BioWare Edmonton's new IP. Some are also finishing updates to the singleplayer first.
  • Mass Effect isn't officially dead, though this wouldn't be the first time an EA series went on hiatus, and then never returned.

In the wake of BioWare's polarizing Mass Effect: Andromeda, fans have wondered where the lauded sci-fi series will go next. The answer, according to people familiar with the studio, is nowhere—at least for the time being. BioWare has put Mass Effect on hiatus and turned Andromeda's developer, BioWare Montreal, into a support studio, according to four sources close to the company.

That doesn't mean there will never be another Mass Effect game, of course. It's unlikely that BioWare will kill the popular sci-fi franchise. But BioWare is letting Mass Effect sit for a while rather than putting staff on Andromeda's follow-up right away, those sources said.

http://kotaku.com/sources-bioware-montreal-downsized-mass-effect-put-on-1795100285
 

BigTnaples

Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
I'm okay with this. (The ME on Ice Part)



Give Mass Effect the time and effort it deserves. One of the best IPs out there, but as much as I like Andromeda despite its many flaws, even without the flaws, the game simply seems dated next to games like Horizon or even The Wild Hunt which game 2 years prior.
 

Cartho

Member
Hopefully no one lost their jobs over hyperbolic internet rage.

I think givingnsuchc a huge and well loved franchise to a relatively inexperienced team was a mistake though. They should have had their A squad on Mass Effect. I enjoyed Andromeda but it wasn't as involving as the original games in my opinion.
 
Fuck that, one mediocre game should not be enough to put a good series on hold but that's how the industry works while Call of Duty, Fifa and Madden to sequels for the next 10 years and beyond.
 

Morts

Member
Goddamnit.

Haven't played Andromeda yet but I love the Mass Effect universe. Sucks that they screwed this franchise up. It's like Dead Space 3 all over again.
 

NMFried

Member
I just hate that this is the immediate response to criticism. Imagine if this had happened to CD Projekt Red after The Witcher 1.

I get that costs are involved, but Mass Effect isn't a soured name because of this. There are people that still respect the lore and the world and putting it "on ice" won't help the cause down the line. Didn't help Mirror's Edge.
 
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To be clear, the article states that it's going on hiatus for a while to wrap up other projects. They are NOT ending Mass Effect.
 
Sounds like a hiatus. When it does return (ME is their marquee franchise - it's gonna come back eventually), it'll for sure be from a different in house studio/team.
 

Cartho

Member
I mean what did EA expect would happen they released a broken and unpolished game.

Fallout 4 and Skyrim didn't seem to do Bethesda any harm. Both were wildly more broken than Andromeda in terms of progression affecting bugs and both had far worse character animation.
 

dex3108

Member
I'm okay with this. (The ME on Ice Part)



Give Mass Effect the time and effort it deserves. One of the best IPs out there, but as much as I like Andromeda despite its many flaws, even without the flaws, the game simply seems dated next to games like Horizon or even The Wild Hunt which game 2 years prior.

But they took their time for Andromeda. That game took 4 or 5 years to develop.
 
Not surprising at all. I never cared for Mass Effect to begin with, but as it's my wife's favorite series, I gave it the ole' college try. Andromeda had easily the best actual gameplay and shooting, but the story was just like the others, super boring and not fun. This new one had it in spades. Hopefully they can leave it alone for a few more years and when they come back to it, give the game the time it needs instead of rushing it out the door completely unfinished and unpolished.
 
I never played the game but I saw a lot of (missed) potential in the Easy Allies review. It is a predictable outcome but still sad to hear since the series was pretty awesome so far :(
 

schaft0620

Member
Are they not going to release the patches? I want to play the game when it goes on sale in it's original launch state.
 

Xion_Stellar

People should stop referencing data that makes me feel uncomfortable because games get ported to platforms I don't like
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We all knew this was going to happen the only question was when it was going to happen....oh we'll see you in the PS5/XB2 or PS6/XB3 era Mass Effect.
 
Is this another Dragon Age 2 scenario where they're gonna scrap the idea of these characters playing a major role across a trilogy?

I never played DA2 or DAI but I know Hawke was supposed to be the main character like Shepard was in Mass Effect.
 

KJRS_1993

Member
That's really sad.

Andromeda could have been very good if they released it without those poor animations and a better balance of quantity / quality.
 

Skux

Member
Fuck that, one mediocre game should not be enough to put a good series on hold but that's how the industry works while Call of Duty, Fifa and Madden to sequels for the next 10 years and beyond.

It doesn't matter if it's good. It matters if it sells.
 

Bubble

Neo Member
This fucking sucks. Andromeda had some flaws, but it was still a good game.

And now, I have to live in a world where Mass Effect is put on ice, while Dragon Age gets to live on?! Life... is unfair, to say the least.
 

Zukkoyaki

Member
At least there doesn't appear to be any layoffs. Looks like a lot of folks were simply transferred.

Very unfortunate though. Hopefully Edmonton knocks it out of the park with the new IP and next Dragon Age.
 
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