BioWareis an acclaimed studio that has developed some of the most influential titles in the games industry’s history. The studio’s output has spanned a range of genres, settings, and types of gameplay while introducing players to some of the most endeared characters ever. With the recent remastering ofBioWare’sMass Effecttrilogy, the question has been raised as to what the future holds for the company’s various other franchises that have long been dormant and could find a new life on the newest generation of consoles.
BioWare has confirmed that it is currently developing a new entry in its popularDragon AgeandMass Effectseries, but little else is known about what else the studio is currently working on. The rumoredStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicremake is reportedly being developed by Aspyrrather than BioWare, so it is not clear what else the studio could possibly be working on. While the studio developing a new IP is a possibility, BioWare also has a wealth of IPs that it could very likely be working to revive.
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Neverwinter Nights Should Come to Next-Generation Consoles
Popular tabletop RPG gameDungeons and Dragonsis already slated to return to the video games industry withthis summer’s launch ofDungeons and Dragons: Dark Allianceand Wizards of the Coast has stated its intentions to bring the franchise back to the industry by offering a multitude of titles. This puts BioWare in a great position to revive its classicNeverwinter Nightsseries.Neverwinter Nightswas one of the studio’s very first RPG titles and led to a lot of BioWare’s iconic features that sawMass EffectandDragon Agefinding so much success. It would be very interesting to see what BioWare could bring to the iconic setting of Neverwinter in modern times after they have so many more titles in their history that they have learned from.
One of BioWare’s previousDungeons and Dragonsseries,Baldur’s Gatehas already seen arevival through Larian Studios’Baldur’s Gate 3. The originalNeverwinter NightsandBaldur’s Gategames were built off the 3.5 edition ofDungeons and Dragons, butBaldur’s Gate 3is built around the newer 5th edition. It would be very interesting to see how BioWare would translate the tabletop game’s newest rules and mechanics to a newNeverwinter Nightstitle, and it would undoubtedly bring about a large variety of changes at every level. Of course, it would also include the lessons that BioWare has learned from its variety of other RPG titles.
Jade Empire Should Come to Next-Generation Consoles
BioWare’sJade Empirereleased in 2005, and saw the studio tackling the world of martial arts as an action-RPG. It was a unique game built on Chinese mythology and allowing players to experiment with and explore a range of martial arts techniques, and it quickly became a cult classic. There were plans for aspiritual successor toJade Empirethat saw it reimagined in a futuristic cyberpunk setting that were eventually scrapped. But now seems like a great opportunity for BioWare to bringJade Empireback with a follow-up release on PC and the new generation of consoles.
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The new power brought with the new generation of consoles and current PC hardware would allow for BioWare’s next entry in the series to be a massive improvement on the first. The first was lauded for its interesting world and lore, its detailed representation of martial arts styles, variety of weapon choices, and its unique take on the genre. All of those aspects could be improved thanks to the new hardware standards across the games industry. There also have not been any games that have filled the holeJade Empireleft behind, so a sequel would feel just as fresh and unique in the current market as the original did all those years ago.BioWare developers have said before that a newJade Empireis always a possibility, so hopefully, the studio will consider acting on that possibility sooner rather than later.
Shattered Steel Should Come To Next-Generation Consoles
Shattered Steelwas BioWare’s very first title, released all the way back in 1996. The game put players in control of a mech in a desolate future that sees humanity on the brink of complete extinction. The campaign spans multiple planets and allows players to choose from and customize a few different mech styles with a variety of different weapons. The game is played from a first person perspective from the cockpit of the payer’s mech as they engage in missions fighting for humanity’s survival. There are not too many games releasing in the mech genre lately other thanmech fighterOverride 2and the recentMechWarrior 5. This means that a AAA title from a high profile studio like BioWare could bring a lot of new attention to the genre.
Shattered Steel’s age and all of the technical advancements made across the industry over the ears would also see a new entry in the series being an incredible improvement over the original. Not only would the varied planets and mech cockpits look incredible with the graphical power of today’s PCs and consoles, new hardware like VR headsets or thePlayStation 5’s DualSense controller would add a lot to the experience as well. Being able to look around the cockpit with a VR headset while the DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers could sell the size of the mech being controlled and the thundering of one’s weapon systems. It would all come together to make for an experience that would fit BioWare’s goals and hopes for the originalShattered Steel.
Of course, there is no guarantee that BioWare will actually consider bringing any of these long dormant franchises back to life. The studio has a lot of series that it could draw from to build out its future, but it also has a lot of potential for building an entirely new IP that will doubtlessly be as fantastic as its previous successes. Whatever BioWare does next, it will be exciting to see what form it takes, and howBioWare’s iconic love for difficult decisionsand moral quandaries take form in it.
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