History Creator / BioWare

Compare and contrast Creator/ObsidianEntertainment, with whom [=BioWare=] has a surprisingly fond relationship. Both companies had close links to Creator/{{Interplay|Entertainment}} and both specialize in story-driven Western-style [=RPGs=], but, [[http://www.mobygames.com/featured_article/feature,31/section,219/ as one commentator put it]], "Bioware is epic conflict spiced with personal, while Obsidian is personal conflict spiced with epic."

However, over the years, they have become fairly controversial, starting with ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', which got criticized for its rushed development, and the infamous ending of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', though the backlash has diminished with the release of the free DLC expanding on it. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has received the multiple Game of the Year awards in 2014 while ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' and ''VideoGame/Anthem2019'' have received less stellar receptions, with Andromeda's unpolished facial animations and weaker storyline compared to prior games in the series as well as the turbulent events surrounding ''VideoGame/Anthem2019'' and its rocky launch. Despite these developments and the slow progress for Anthem's post-release content, a teaser is announced for ''Dragon Age 4'' and is currently in development. They are still liked well enough, but not as universally as before.

[=BioWare=] is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. They are known for developing {{Western RPG}}s. Formed in 1995 by three doctors, [[ArtifactTitle hence the name "BioWare"]], their first products were patient simulation software. Initially they produced {{licensed game}}s but they've been creating their own universes since 2005 and are part of Creator/ElectronicArts since 2009. For a while, a number of other EA studios were also under the [=BioWare=] label. Mythic Entertainment, Victory Games, and EA 2D (incorporating [[VideoGame/SuperheroCity KlickNation]]) have all been considered part of [=BioWare=] at some point. However, those studios have mainly been spun off again (or closed) since then, leaving just the "core" [=BioWare=] (meaning the original Edmonton studio, an online-focused studio in Austin, and an offshoot in Montreal). [=BioWare=] has been split from EA Games [[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/36385/Major_Executive_Label_Shifts_At_Electronic_Arts.php into their own label]], meaning that they have their own advertising staff.

However, over the years, they have become fairly controversial, starting with ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', which got criticized for its rushed development, and the infamous ending of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', though the backlash has diminished with the release of the free DLC expanding on it. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has received the multiple Game of the Year awards in 2014 while ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' and ''VideoGame/Anthem2019'' have received less stellar receptions, with Andromeda's unpolished facial animations and notably weaker story compared to prior games in the series as well as the turbulent events surrounding ''VideoGame/Anthem2019'' and its rocky launch. Despite these developments and the slow progress for Anthem's post-release content, a teaser is announced for ''Dragon Age 4'' and is currently in development. They are still liked well enough, but not as universally as before.

[=BioWare=] is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. They are known for developing {{Western RPG}}s. Formed in 1995 by three doctors, [[ArtifactTitle hence the name "BioWare"]], their first products were patient simulation software. Initially they produced {{licensed game}}s but they've been creating their own universes since 2005.They're a part of Creator/ElectronicArts since 2009. For a while, a number of other EA studios were also under the [=BioWare=] label. Mythic Entertainment, Victory Games, and EA 2D (incorporating [[VideoGame/SuperheroCity KlickNation]]) have all been considered part of [=BioWare=] at some point. However, those studios have mainly been spun off again (or closed) since then, leaving just the "core" [=BioWare=] (meaning the original Edmonton studio, an online-focused studio in Austin, and an offshoot in Montreal). [=BioWare=] has been split from EA Games [[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/36385/Major_Executive_Label_Shifts_At_Electronic_Arts.php into their own label]], meaning that they have their own advertising staff.

[=BioWare=] is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. They are known for developing {{Western RPG}}s. Formed in 1995 by three doctors, [[ArtifactTitle hence the name "BioWare"]], their first products were patient simulation software. Initially they produced {{licensed game}}s but they've been creating their own universes since 2005.

Let's just say that some of their [=RPGs=] have developed a reputation for being the video game equivalent of {{door stopper}}s, in the best sense of that term. You play a [=BioWare=] game ''because'' of the dialogue trees, the hours spent on developing side characters, understanding the world, and reading the Codex. The writing tends to be of good quality too, reinforcing how you play a [=BioWare=] game for the story, not for the gameplay.

However, over the years, they have become fairly controversial, starting with ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', which got criticized for its rushed development, and the infamous ending of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', though the backlash has diminished with the release of the free DLC expanding on it. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has received the multiple Game of the Year awards in 2014 while ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' and ''VideoGame/Anthem2019'' have received less stellar receptions, with Andromeda's unpolished facial animations and notably weaker story compared to prior games in the series as well as the turbulent events surrounding ''VideoGame/Anthem2019'' and its rocky launch. Despite these developments and the slow progress for Anthem's post-release content, a teaser is announced for ''Dragon Age 4'' and is currently in development. They are still liked well enough, but not as universally as before.

[=BioWare=] is part of Creator/ElectronicArts. For a while, a number of other EA studios were also under the [=BioWare=] label. Mythic Entertainment, Victory Games, and EA 2D (incorporating [[VideoGame/SuperheroCity KlickNation]]) have all been considered part of [=BioWare=] at some point. However, those studios have mainly been spun off again (or closed) since then, leaving just the "core" [=BioWare=] (meaning the original Edmonton studio, an online-focused studio in Austin, and an offshoot in Montreal). [=BioWare=] has been split from EA Games [[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/36385/Major_Executive_Label_Shifts_At_Electronic_Arts.php into their own label]], meaning that they have their own advertising staff.

[=BioWare=] is part of Creator/ElectronicArts. For a while, a number of other EA studios were also under the [=BioWare=] label. Mythic Entertainment, Victory Games, and EA 2D (incorporating [[VideoGame/SuperheroCity KlickNation]]) have all been considered part of [=BioWare=] at some point. However, those studios have mainly been spun off again (or closed) since then, leaving just the "core" [=BioWare=] (meaning the original Edmonton studio, an online-focused studio in Austin, and an offshoot in Montreal). [=BioWare=] has been split from EA Games [[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/36385/Major_Executive_Label_Shifts_At_Electronic_Arts.php into their own label]], meaning that they have their own advertising staff. ''

Compare and contrast Creator/ObsidianEntertainment, with whom [=BioWare=] has a surprisingly fond relationship. Both companies had close links to Creator/{{Interplay|Entertainment}} and both specialize in story-driven Western-style [=RPGs=], but, [[http://www.mobygames.com/featured_article/feature,31/section,219/ as one commentator put it]], "Bioware is epic conflict spiced with personal, while Obsidian is personal conflict spiced with epic.

Compare and contrast Creator/ObsidianEntertainment, with whom [=BioWare=] has a surprisingly fond relationship. Both companies had close links to Creator/{{Interplay|Entertainment}} and both specialize in story-driven Western-style [=RPGs=], but, [[http://www.mobygames.com/featured_article/feature,31/section,219/ as one commentator put it]], "Bioware is epic conflict spiced with personal, while Obsidian is personal conflict spiced with epic."

However, over the years, they have become fairly controversial, starting with ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', which got criticized for its rushed development. but especially since the infamous ending of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''.VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' has received the multiple Game of the Year awards in 2014 while ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' and ''VideoGame/Anthem'' has received less stellar receptions, with Andromeda's unpolished facial animations and notably weaker story compared the prior games in the series and the turbulent events surrounding ''VideoGame/Anthem2019'' and its rocky launch. Despite these developments and the slow progress for Anthem's post-release content, a teaser is announced for ''Dragon Age 4'' and is currently in development.
They are still liked well enough, but not as universally as before.

However, over the years, they have become fairly controversial, starting with ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', which got criticized for its obviously rushed development. but especially since the infamous ending of ''VideoGame/MassEffect3''. They are still liked well enough, but not as universally as before.

[=BioWare=] is part of Creator/ElectronicArts. For a while, a number of other EA studios were also under the [=BioWare=] label. Mythic Entertainment, Victory Games, and EA 2D (incorporating [[VideoGame/SuperheroCity KlickNation]]) have all been considered part of [=BioWare=] at some point. However, those studios have mainly been spun off again (or closed) since then, leaving just the "core" [=BioWare=] (meaning the original Edmonton studio, an online-focused studio in Austin, and an offshoot in Montreal). [=BioWare=] has been split from EA Games [[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/36385/Major_Executive_Label_Shifts_At_Electronic_Arts.php into their own label]], meaning that they have their own advertising staff.

Hailed for years as one of the most reputable game development companies, the 2010s and the acquisition by EA would ultimately spell an end to Bioware's streak of critically acclaimed games and would see their reputation plummet among both fans and critics. While the decade started well for them with the double-launch of ''Dragon Age Origins'' and ''Mass Effect 2'' being seen as the high-point of the company, things would take an immediate turn in 2011 with the launch of ''Dragon Age 2,'' which showed obvious signs of being rushed to meet deadlines. ''Mass Effect 3's'' controversial ending is a story that needs no explanation and left a sour note on the conclusion of Bioware's epic trilogy. While ''Star Wars: The Old Republic'' proved successful when launching in this window, reception was initially cold at launch and only warmed over time as more expansions came in. ''Dragon Age Inquisition'' would mark a brief return to form for Bioware, with the game receiving multiple Game of the Year awards in 2014 in spite of Bioware working on an entirely new engine[[note]]EA's Frostbite proved to be difficult to work with due to being made for shooters and little else[[/note]], but over the years the reception has been more lukewarm. Retroactively however, Bioware began to scorn the success of ''Inquisition,'' due to it giving higher-ups the idea that "Bioware magic" could save games with heavy crunch time in the final hours. Bioware's next two titles, ''Mass Effect Andromeda'' and ''Anthem'' were both hamstrung by Frostbite, especially ''Anthem'' as Frostbite's tech support team was tasked to prioritize the ''FIFA'' and ''Battlefield'' developers. ''Andromeda's'' 2017 launch became [[https://kotaku.com/the-story-behind-mass-effect-andromedas-troubled-five-1795886428 one of the most controversial of the year,]] (especially regarding its facial animations which became overnight memes) and notably weaker story than the prior games in the series, and the launch proved weak enough that post-launch DLC was scrapped and remade into a novel. More so was the tubulent events surrounding ''VideoGame/Anthem2019''. Between a lack of clear vision on what the project would even be (up to and including the ''name of the project'' not being known until a week before its announcement, constant comparisons to other looter-shooters like ''Destiny'' and ''The Division'' and [[https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964 the troublesome production]] that led to staff leaving en-masse due to the constant crunch and stresses of the development, not helped by Bioware's [[https://www.vg247.com/2019/04/03/bioware-responds-anthem-troubled-development-expose/ response when details of the development were revealed.]] Despite these developments and the slow progress for Anthem's post-release content, a teaser was announced for ''Dragon Age 4'' and currently in development.

Hailed for years as one of the most reputable game development companies, the 2010s and the acquisition by EA would ultimately spell an end to Bioware's streak of critically acclaimed games and would see their reputation plummet among both fans and critics. While the decade started well for them with the double-launch of ''Dragon Age Origins'' and ''Mass Effect 2'' being seen as the high-point of the company, things would take an immediate turn in 2011 with the launch of ''Dragon Age 2,'' which showed obvious signs of being rushed to meet deadlines. ''Mass Effect 3's'' controversial ending is a story that needs no explanation and left a sour note on the conclusion of Bioware's epic trilogy. While ''Star Wars: The Old Republic'' proved successful when launching in this window, reception was initially cold at launch and only warmed over time as more expansions came in. ''Dragon Age Inquisition'' would mark a brief return to form for Bioware, with the game receiving multiple Game of the Year awards in 2014 in spite of Bioware working on an entirely new engine[[note]]EA's Frostbite proved to be difficult to work with due to being made for shooters and little else[[/note]], but over the years the reception has been more lukewarm. Retroactively however, Bioware began to scorn the success of ''Inquisition,'' due to it giving higher-ups the idea that "Bioware magic" could save games with heavy crunch time in the final hours. Bioware's next two titles, ''Mass Effect Andromeda'' and ''Anthem'' were both hamstrung by Frostbite, especially ''Anthem'' as Frostbite's tech support team was tasked to prioritize the ''FIFA'' and ''Battlefield'' developers. ''Andromeda's'' 2017 launch became [[https://kotaku.com/the-story-behind-mass-effect-andromedas-troubled-five-1795886428 one of the most controversial of the year,]] (especially regarding its facial animations which became overnight memes) and notably weaker story than the prior games in the series, and the launch proved weak enough that post-launch DLC was scrapped and remade into a novel. All of this would pale, however, to the disaster for the company that was ''Anthem.'' Between a lack of clear vision on what the project would even be (up to and including the ''name of the project'' not being known until a week before its announcement, constant comparisons to other looter-shooters like ''Destiny'' and ''The Division'' (to say nothing of the scorn Bioware received for abandoning their single-player roots for an open-world looter-shooter), and [[https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964 a development so horrifying]] that staff were leaving en-masse due to the constant crunch and stresses of the development, and ''Anthem'' was a mess even before it launched, where it received an apathetic response from critics, not helped by Bioware's [[https://www.vg247.com/2019/04/03/bioware-responds-anthem-troubled-development-expose/ lackluster response when details of the development were revealed.]] With ''Anthem'' failing to reach several roadmap targets set out post-launch, and ''Dragon Age 4'' in development limbo after the team were forced to scrap the project and help the ''Anthem'' crew, Bioware has lost much of the spark that put them on the map, and are now widely regarded with disdain and as a shadow of their former selves.

Hailed for years as one of the most reputable game development companies, the 2010s and the acquisition by EA would ultimately spell an end to Bioware's streak of critically acclaimed games and would see their reputation plummet among both fans and critics. While the decade started well for them with the double-launch of ''Dragon Age Origins'' and ''Mass Effect 2'' being seen as the high-point of the company, things would take an immediate turn in 2011 with the launch of ''Dragon Age 2,'' which showed obvious signs of being rushed to meet deadlines. ''Mass Effect 3's'' controversial ending is a story that needs no explanation and left a sour note on the conclusion of Bioware's epic trilogy. While ''Star Wars: The Old Republic'' proved successful when launching in this window, reception was initially cold at launch and only warmed over time as more expansions came in. ''Dragon Age Inquisition'' would mark a brief return to form for Bioware, with the game receiving multiple Game of the Year awards in 2014 in spite of Bioware working on an entirely new engine- EA's Frostbite, which proved to be difficult to work with due to being made for shooters and little else. Retroactively however, Bioware began to scorn the success of ''Inquisition,'' due to it giving higher-ups the idea that "Bioware magic" could save games with heavy crunch time in the final hours. Bioware's next two titles, ''Mass Effect Andromeda'' and ''Anthem'' were both hamstrung by Frostbite, especially ''Anthem'' as Frostbite's tech support team was tasked to prioritize the ''FIFA'' and ''Battlefield'' developers. ''Andromeda's'' 2017 launch became [[https://kotaku.com/the-story-behind-mass-effect-andromedas-troubled-five-1795886428 one of the most controversial of the year,]] (especially regarding its facial animations which became overnight memes) and notably weaker story than the prior games in the series, and the launch proved weak enough that post-launch DLC was scrapped and remade into a novel. All of this would pale, however, to the disaster for the company that was ''Anthem.'' Between a lack of clear vision on what the project would even be (up to and including the ''name of the project'' not being known until a week before its announcement, constant comparisons to other looter-shooters like ''Destiny'' and ''The Division'' (to say nothing of the scorn Bioware received for abandoning their single-player roots for an open-world looter-shooter), and [[https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964 a development so horrifying]] that staff were leaving en-masse due to the constant crunch and stresses of the development, and ''Anthem'' was a mess even before it launched, where it received an apathetic response from critics, not helped by Bioware's [[https://www.vg247.com/2019/04/03/bioware-responds-anthem-troubled-development-expose/ lackluster response when details of the development were revealed.]] With ''Anthem'' failing to reach several roadmap targets set out post-launch, and ''Dragon Age 4'' in development limbo after the team were forced to scrap the project and help the ''Anthem'' crew, Bioware has lost much of the spark that put them on the map, and are now widely regarded with disdain and as a shadow of their former selves.

Hailed for years as one of the most reputable game development companies, the 2010s and the acquisition by EA would ultimately spell an end to Bioware's streak of critically acclaimed games and would see their reputation plummet among both fans and critics. While the decade started well for them with the double-launch of ''Dragon Age Origins'' and ''Mass Effect 2'' being seen as the high-point of the company, things would take an immediate turn in 2011 with the launch of ''Dragon Age 2,'' which showed obvious signs of being rushed to meet deadlines. ''Mass Effect 3's'' controversial ending is a story that needs no explanation and left a sour note on the conclusion of Bioware's epic trilogy. While ''Star Wars: The Old Republic'' proved successful when launching in this window, reception was initially cold at launch and only warmed over time as more expansions came in. ''Dragon Age Inquisition'' would mark a brief return to form for Bioware, with the game receiving multiple Game of the Year awards in 2014 in spite of Bioware working on an entirely new engine- EA's Frostbite, which proved to be difficult to work with due to being made for shooters and little else. Retroactively however, Bioware began to scorn the success of ''Inquisition,'' due to it giving higher-ups the idea that "Bioware magic" could save games with heavy crunch time in the final hours. Bioware's next two titles, ''Mass Effect Andromeda'' and ''Anthem'' were both hamstrung by Frostbite, especially ''Anthem'' as Frostbite's tech support team was tasked to prioritize the ''FIFA'' and ''Battlefield'' developers. ''Andromeda's'' 2017 launch became [[https://kotaku.com/the-story-behind-mass-effect-andromedas-troubled-five-1795886428 one of the most controversial of the year,]] (especially regarding its facial animations which became overnight memes) and notably weaker story than the prior games in the series, and the launch proved weak enough that post-launch DLC was scrapped and remade into a novel. All of this would pale, however, to the disaster for the company that was ''Anthem.'' Between a lack of clear vision on what the project would even be (up to and including the ''name of the project'' not being known until a week before its announcement, constant comparisons to other looter-shooters like ''Destiny'' and ''The Division'' (to say nothing of the scorn Bioware received for abandoning their single-player roots for an open-world looter-shooter), and [[https://kotaku.com/how-biowares-anthem-went-wrong-1833731964 a development so horrifying]] that staff were leaving en-masse due to the constant crunch and stresses of the development, and ''Anthem'' was a mess even before it launched, where it received an apathetic response from critics, not helped by Bioware's lackluster response when details of the development were revealed. With ''Anthem'' failing to reach several roadmap targets set out post-launch, and ''Dragon Age 4'' in development limbo after the team were forced to scrap the project and help the ''Anthem'' crew, Bioware has lost much of the spark that put them on the map, and are now widely regarded with disdain and as a shadow of their former selves.

* RomanceSidequest: Basically a trademark of [=BioWare=] games. Starting with a minor sidequest in the ''Tales of the Sword Coast'' expansion to ''Baldur's Gate'' and implemented as a major feature in ''Baldur's Gate 2'', after which it became a staple of their games.

* ''VideoGame/{{Anthem 2019}}'' (2019)

* WesternRPG: With three[[note]]the mech sim ''Shattered Steel'', the shooter ''MDK2'', and the online looter-shooter ''Anthem''[[/note]] and a half (that would be ''SWTOR'') exceptions, all games developed by the studio belong to this genre, earning them the reputation of major [[TropeCodifier Genre Codifiers]] and [[GenrePopularizer Popularizers]]. On the other hand, the writers like PlayingWithTropes from other genres, particularly the EasternRPG, to mix up the classic recipes.

* WesternRPG: With two and a half (that would be ''SW:TOR'') exceptions, all games developed by the studio belong to this genre, earning them the reputation of major [[TropeCodifier Genre Codifiers]] and [[GenrePopularizer Popularizers]]. On the other hand, the writers like PlayingWithTropes from other genres, particularly the EasternRPG, to mix up the classic recipes.

* ''VideoGame/{{Anthem}}'' (2019)[[/index]]

*** ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' has both a Betty and Veronica along with a ThirdLoveInterest for both straight males and lesbians. Your idealistic second in command whose stuck between two cultures Cora is the Betty for straight males and the soft spoken logical religious scientist Suvi would also be a Betty but only for lesbians. Meanwhile, both sexual orientations have the hyperactive devil may care asari archeologists Peebee as the Veronica and an option who has aspects of both sides, the roguish yet compassionate turian smuggler Vetra.

* ''VideoGame/{{Anthem 2018}}'' (2019)[[/index]]
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%%[[/index]]

* {{Astroturfing}}: An employee of [=BioWare=] [[http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/15/dragon-age-ii-metacritic-user-reviews-padded-by-bioware-employees/ went]] to the ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' Metacritic page and gave the game a 10. While this ''isn't'' an example of astroturfing (EA described it as the equivalent of voting for yourself in an election), it did inspire a case of ''astroturfing astroturfing'', where fans of ''VideoGame/TheWitcher'' went on ''The Witcher 2'''s Metacritic page, gave the game of zero, and [[PaperThinDisguise pretended to be]] [=BioWare=] employees.

* ''[[VideoGame/SonicChronicles Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood]]'' (2008)

* [[Franchise/BaldursGate Baldur's Gate series]] (from 1998 to 2001 under [=BioWare=]; onward under different developers)

In spite of the [[NamesTheSame names being similar enough]], [=BioWare=] does not own the ''Franchise/BioShock'' franchise.

-->-- '''[[https://youtu.be/YDl2sgDlM8s?t=14 Jeremy Jahns]]''', reviewing ''VideoGame/MassEffect1''