Could the famed RPG studio be going the way of Call of Duty?
BioWare makes RPGs. We all know that. It’s the developer’s specialty, much like how Valve makes FPS games, Blizzard makes RTSes (and MMOs), Square-Enix makes games about teenagers with huge hair and shiny swords, and Keita Takahashi makes games that make you feel like you’ve just dropped a dose of LSD.
A series of job listings might suggest that the RPG maker’s Montreal studio, at least, is starting to branch out in order to make something other than (admittedly awesome) KotOR clones.
According to the listing, four positions are being sought to develop games in Montreal. Three of them may well be working on the same game: a Concept Artist is needed for a “military-genre franchise,” a Technical Artist is needed for a “popular FPS,” and a Lead Designer is being sought for a “military-genre FPS.” The fourth, a Senior Level Designer for a “new Action-Adventure IP,” might have nothing to do with the project the others are working on at all.
On the other hand, BioWare Montreal might have nothing to do with this. While VG247 and G4 both mention that the claim was filed under both EA and BioWare (indicating that the positions were at BioWare Montreal), the site now only lists EA.
Either somebody got some wires crossed somewhere, and these positions are in fact at EA Montreal and not BioWare, or this is EA not willing to show the hand of one of its most valuable studios too early. My money is more on the former than the latter, though I could always be wrong.
Ah well, it was an interesting thought while it lasted.
