If you’re a fan of Role Playing Games (RPGs), then chances are you’ve played at least oneBioWaregame in your lifetime, with plenty of releases to choose from, dating back to the company’s first game, Shattered Steel, in 1996. While it’s impossible to expect any company to make perfect games every time, BioWare has a laundry list of hits that have shaped the game industry.
Whether you’re a Star Wars fan, here for some more delicious KOTOR content as we await a remake, or you want a quick history lesson on BioWare’s greatest hits (and misses), we’ve got you covered.
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Wheneven one of a game’s main characters doesn’t love it,you know that something missed the mark. Dragon Age: The Veilguard had all the right ingredients to usher in a new age of dominance for BioWare in the RPG space, but instead, what should’ve been a triumphant return had many wondering if BioWare still has the juice.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard was neither bad nor groundbreaking, but the game’s mediocrity proved that times have changed, and so have our expectations of high-budget, AAA games.If this was the best that BioWare could do with the series,then maybe it’s time for new leadership with a fresh vision.
Trashing the developers is unproductive. Real change comes from the top down – from the decision-makers who sign off on everything.
Mass Effect 2 came at a pivotal moment in BioWare’s history, and this game built on the overwhelming success of the first game, confirming that the series was here to stay.
Given how divisive the third game’s ending is,it’s clear that this game set a gold standard for Mass Effect, making various quality of life improvements over the first entry.
Fresh off the heels of Dragon Age: Origins in 2009, this game came off the shelves with plenty of momentum, and the team delivered a follow-up that was worthy of the 2010 BAFTA as Game of the Year. This continued a period of quickfire releases for BioWare, with five titles dropping between 2010 and 2012.
This one is a bit odd, as BioWare developed the first two Baldur’s Gate games before the license passed to Beamdog, who updated the original game with the Infinity Engine in 2012, before the license was eventually handed over to Larian Studios, who developed the 2023 Game of the Year, Baldur’s Gate 3.
While the latest game had nothing to do with BioWare, if they hadn’t relinquished the series to focus on developing their other IPs, including Mass Effect and Dragon Age, then Larian might never have created what’s considered their Magnum Opus. Thanks to BioWare’s lack of success with the original BG, the gaming industry received one of the best games ever about 25 years later.
Anthem will go down in history as BioWare’s biggest failure and one of the biggest disappointments across gaming in the 21st century. While that may sound melodramatic, Anthem’s incredible expectations fell so far short of requirements thatthe game’s online servers failed to reach their seventh anniversary, with the 2019 title falling off the map.
Shallow, grindy gameplay is perhaps the most unanimous criticism of the game, and even a recognition of the failure and attempt to fix the game’s core flaws fell short. Development support stopped less than two years after release, and left Anthem as a massive blemish on BioWare’s otherwise impressive resume.
Jade Empire represented a massive moment for BioWare and announced them to the world as RPG specialists who weren’t afraid to delve into the new worlds of their original in-house IPs. Jade Empire didn’t quite launch into the series that BioWare might’ve imagined, but the game still made a major mark on the RPG landscape by leaning into their previously developed morality system.
In addition, Jade Empire’s famous nod to save-scumming (the act of saving before attempting something difficult, then reloading if you fail) by killing a character in response to your ‘cheating’ is one of the greatest fourth-wall-breaking moments in video game history, opening the door to more meta-commentary in games.
BioWare built on the lessons they learned with Jade Empire and took their talents into space, as Mass Effect burst onto the scene as a space opera that could rival Star Wars. Mass Effect’s Commander Shepard allows you to customize your character as a man or a woman, and is one of the first AAA RPGs to open the door to same-sex romance options.
This game also introduced some of the most beloved characters in gaming history, including Garrus Vakarian, Tali’Zorah, and Liara T’Soni, just to name a few. With multiple titles and countless fans, it’s safe to say that Mass Effect is one of BioWare’s greatest successes and blazed a new trail for RPG romance options.
Continuing from Mass Effect, BioWare’s next major release was Dragon Age: Origins, which introduced the world to the Dragon Age series. This fantasy setting offered a perfect alternative to RPG lovers who weren’t looking for another Star Wars-like space opera to immerse themselves in.
Dragon Age: Origins continued building on the major lessons BioWare learned with Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, as the web of missable quests, romances, and companions redefined the concept of player-driven choices that influenced the world around us.
Let’s go back to the beginning, with the 2003 Game of the Year that changed the course of history for both Star Wars and BioWare. BioWare was tapped by LucasArts to develop a Star Wars title, and the developers were given a choice between two kinds of games to develop:
Needless to say, they chose the latter, and that decision would have a butterfly effect that completely changed the direction of RPGs forever. Developing the greatest Star Wars story ever told as your first major AAA project with a massive IP was impressive, and the nuanced character development set a new industry standard. The most notable character was Revan, one of the most complex Star Wars characters of all time and a massive inspiration for the sequels' Kylo Ren.
