Shadow Realms, BioWare Austin’s first new property since 2011, has been cancelled so the team can focus on other projects.
2014 was a good year for BioWare. Not only did Dragon Age: Inquisition receive countless Game of the Year awards – including our own – the developer announced Shadow Realms, its first new franchise since 2011’s Star Wars: The Old Republic. Due for release in 2015, Shadow Realm was a modern fantasy RPG pitting four player characters against a fifth who controlled the powerful shadowlord. As you’ve probably guessed by my use of the word “was”, that will no longer be the case. BioWare Austin has announced it will cease all development on Shadow Realms and redirect attention to Dragon Age: Inquisition, The Old Republic, and a new Mass Effect game.
“While the team did amazing work on the game concept and we got lots of great feedback from our fans at events and through other game testing, right now there are other projects for the team to work on within the BioWare studios for the coming year and beyond,” BioWare Austin General Manager Jeff Hickman explained. “We’ve got an incredibly talented team here at the Austin studio, and they are excited and already deep on new projects within the BioWare family, ones that will make some great BioWare games even better.”
According to Hickman, BioWare Austin is currently occupied with several projects, including Dragon Age: Inquisition enhancements, the new Mass Effect sequel, and other new IP. But the biggest focus BioWare Austin will be Star Wars: The Old Republic, which you can be sure is getting renewed attention thanks to Star Wars: The Force Awakens. “We have some great plans for expanding this epic game [The Old Republic] this year, and look forward to sharing the news about those plans with our players in the coming weeks.”
It’s a shame BioWare’s modern fantasy setting won’t be realized, but given the number of irons in the fire perhaps it isn’t surprising. Thankfully, Hickman’s comments suggest that new BioWare IP is underway, even if games like Mass Effect and The Old Republic are taking center stage right now. In the meantime, BioWare is working on a way to thank everyone who signed up for the Shadow Realms alpha, and will be sharing new info on its games in the near future.
Source: Shadow Realms
