Developers at BioWare do not believe that Electronic Arts killed the game studio – without them, the developers would have been bankrupt a long time ago. Games like SWTOR or Anthem would be dead or may never have been developed.
Electronic Arts is one of the largest publishers in the world and has faced a lot of criticism in recent years. Debates about loot boxes, greed, and unwillingness to meet the wishes of players have repeatedly flared up in various forums and forms.
EA has a bad reputation among many fans
However, EA has also earned the reputation of acquiring developer studios and their licenses to “milk” them a bit more and ultimately close them.
Fans fear the same fate for BioWare after the team around Mass Effect: Andromeda was disbanded. Ever since the acquisition, some fans have claimed that BioWare has been “going downhill ever since.”
Especially fans of BioWare titles like Mass Effect or Dragon Age are angry at Electronic Arts. Some even argue that EA has “killed” the developer studio BioWare, but the truth seems to be a little different.
Without EA, BioWare would have gone bankrupt long ago
At HavenCon 2018, some current and former developers of BioWare talked about this topic. Among them were Patrick Weekes (Lead Writer of Dragon Age), Karin Weekes (Lead Editor at BioWare), and David Gaider (former Lead Writer of Dragon Age).
They stated that BioWare would have simply run out of money if EA had not taken them over. It is logical that EA’s primary concern is money and thus profit, as that’s how corporations operate.
However, there were very rarely “specific instructions” from EA about what BioWare should or shouldn’t do. If something “risky” is to be implemented (like a transgender character), the usual response is simply whether it could be done “correctly”.
Anthem and SWTOR would be a non-issue without EA
But the statements also allow conclusions to be drawn for other titles. Star Wars: The Old Republic would have been discontinued long ago if BioWare had actually gone bankrupt.
Also, Anthem, which has some fans worried that EA might exert too much influence, would likely never have started development if EA hadn’t acquired BioWare.
In summary, we can say that without Electronic Arts, we would probably never have received an Anthem and SWTOR wouldn’t be heading towards its next expansion.
A large publisher is indeed always a double-edged sword.
Anthem is supposed to have a great story – at least that’s what the developers promise.
