Mass Effect: Andromeda Should Have Focused On Multiplayer, Claims Dev

Expert Verified By

It Tried To Do Too Much, Says Ex-BioWare Dev!

Mass Effect is among the most well-known RPG franchises in the AAA industry. The franchise debuted in 2007 for Xbox 360, while the latest installment was released in 2017.

Following the first two games, Mass Effect 3 sold over 7 million copies and became the most successful tile in the franchise. BioWare hoped to continue this momentum with Mass Effect Andromeda in 2017.

However, Mass Effect: Andromeda flopped and marked the downfall of the franchise. In Edge Magazine, the BioWare ex-GM reflected on the last Mass Effect title, claiming that it would have been better off with a focus on multiplayer elements.

Why it matters: The former BioWare developer believed this would have been the best decision since EA was transitioning at the time and adjusting to the decisions made by the publisher’s new leadership.

 

Aaryn Flynn, the former General Manager of BioWare, recently shared a retrospective analysis in EDGE Magazine, looking back at nearly two decades of work with the popular game studio.

He discussed key aspects of BioWare franchises like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, addressing the last entries in these IPs and their current position in the gaming industry.

Flynn shared that BioWare ended up being overly ambitious with Mass Effect: Andromeda. The studio had big goals, leading to a lack of focus and refinement of any particular part of the game.

He believes this led to the downfall of Mass Effect: Andromeda and a multiplayer focus would have been the best option for the game. This would have allowed the team to experiment with new ideas and create a smaller game.

Aaryn Flynn then pointed to the reception of Mass Effect 3 and said:

“Players really liked the multiplayer mode of Mass Effect 3, and it really resonated with a subset of the community.”

He elaborated that BioWare could have used this as a base for Mass Effect: Andromeda, introducing new elements and expanding on the popular title.

Mass Effect Andromeda

Moreover, Aaryn Flynn described that BioWare was stretched thin between simultaneous work on Mass Effect and Dragon Age, leading to the compromised development of Dragon Age Inquisition.

Nonetheless, the latter became the studio’s most recent success, while BioWare struggled to find success with Mass Effect: Andromeda and games like Anthem, which followed the disappointing RPG.

BioWare is currently working on new titles for the Mass Effect and Dragon Age IPs. The latter is expected to be released in the summer of 2024 at the earliest, with a delay also likely.

While the development of multiple titles is underway, the studio recently laid off 50 developers, but it claimed that this would not significantly impact any of the upcoming releases.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

5 Out of 8 Major AAA Japanese Studios Already Hit Record-Breaking Share Prices This Year

Japan's AAA presence in the gaming industry has gotten stronger, as 5 of the 8 companies in the region reached record-breaking share prices.

Indiana Jones and The Great Circle Tops PlayStation Pre-Orders

With Indiana Jones and the Great Circle now available to pre-order for the PS5, the game is topping the PlayStation charts.

Rocksteady’s Next Batman Game Being Developed Using Unreal Engine 5

Rocksteady's latest job openings confirm that the team is working with Unreal Engine 5 for its next AAA project.

The Witcher 4 Won’t Be Using Generative AI For Development

CDPR says it won't use generative AI for...

Phantom Blade Devs Want To Go Back to PS1 Era Creativity In Development

Phantom Blade devs say they want to go back to the PS1 era, where creativity was important, and budgets were much more manageable.