Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: anthem, bioware, EA, James Ohlen

Bioware Won't Be Closed by EA Even if Anthem Fails Says Former Developer

22-year veteran of Bioware, who recently left the company, James Ohlen has said that even if Anthem were to fail, he doubts EA would close the company.

EA has a not totally undeserved reputation for buying up fan favourite developers, creating a few games with them and then shutting the companies down. The publisher can certainly be a little ruthless with its creators, leaving in its wake the likes of Maxis, Pandemic Studios, Dreamworks Interactive and more recently, Visceral Games. That has left some fretting for Bioware. Mass Effect: Andromeda failed to set the world on fire and if the developer's next big throw of the dice, Anthem, fails to take off, some fear EA might cut their losses and close the developer.

Well, that won't be the case, at least according to a former developer at the studio. 22-year veteran of the company James Ohlen, who left the company just over a week ago says he's hopeful for Bioware's future and its relationship with EA regardless of the outcome of Anthem. Speaking to GameInformer (via Destructoid), the former director on Star Wars: The Old Republic said:

I think EA is looking for BioWare to be a long-term part of the company. BioWare is a lot different than all the other aspects of its business, so, even if Anthem doesn't do as well – and I think it's going to be great – I don't think that's the end of BioWare. I think it will simply be a chance for BioWare to learn some lessons and apply it to the next game that comes out.

To quell any doubts, he reiterated his belief that Anthem will be great regardless, saying:

I know that Anthem is looking amazing. I think people will be very surprised when Anthem comes out next year at what they've been able to do with that game. It's got some incredibly talented people working on it, and it's going to be a great experience.

While this is all hypothetical and Ohlen isn't at the studio any more, it is a nice insider's perspective on all of the internet speculation. My personal feeling is that he is probably right. While I expect there might be some changes if Anthem was a total failure, I think, alongside DICE, Bioware is EA's biggest asset outside of its sports division. I don't imagine they would close the company completely. Still, I also have big expectations for Anthem too, so let's all hope this hypothetical is never put into practice.

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