Casey Hudson, the project director of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy, returned to BioWare almost exactly a year ago after the unexpected departure of Aaryn Flynn on the grounds of the launch of Mass Effect Andromeda, a game that debuted to lackluster sales and critical reception. BioWare is currently focusing on the development of Anthem, its brand new MMORPG.
When it comes to the future of Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and BioWare's Star Wars, Hudson didn't rule out any option in an interview with Game Informer. "There are so many games that I personally would like to make, and that we, as a studio, would want to get to," Hudson explained. "So what challenge is to make a really great game on this scale at this point takes a majority of a studio like BioWare, and we’re a pretty big studio. There are so many more games that we want to make than we can actually get to, so we kind of have to pick the next one and move thought them. I always loved Star Wars, I loved making The Old Republic, so we’re always just trying to see what to do next."
"For Dragon Age and Mass Effect, we want to get back to them as soon as we can, and then it’s just focusing our effort as we go from one thing to the next, so we can do great job on one thing and move on to the next thing. Mass Effect is certainly a game I want to get back to, I know there are people that feel like we’re just never gonna do anything along the lines of Mass Effect, but it’s my baby. I helped start Mass Effect from the beginning, so of course we intend to get back to it at some point," the creative director concluded.
Apparently, the next Dragon Age will stay "story and character focused", but we will have to wait to see what's actually hiding behind this marketing slogan at least until the spring of 2019 when the works on Anthem should come to an end. According to Kotaku's January report, EA forced BioWare to reboot the next installment of the Dragon Age series to add more "live" elements into the game. Check it out:
In this shared-world action-RPG, you and your friends are Freelancers—the bold few with the courage to leave civilization behind, explore a landscape of primeval beauty, and confront the dangers you find. Up to four players band together to take on whatever perils you discover as a heroic team. As your friends support you in your journey, so do your victories and rewards benefit your friends. Wield an arsenal of Javelin exosuits, each equipped with unique weapons and abilities. Customize them with gear you earn and craft, then use them to fly, leap, and climb through a contiguous open world.
Anthem will be released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC (via Origin) on February 22, 2019.