The closure of BioWare has naturally prompted tributes and outrage from fans and fellow developers alike, including CD Projekt Red, the studio behind The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. EA’s sudden shuttering of the acclaimed RPG studio came as a heavy blow to the industry, especially after BioWare had spent decades shaping the RPG genre into the profitable gold mine that it is today. Naturally, fans who were trepidatiously expecting the now-canceled Mass Effect 5 were disappointed, but so too were the likes of CD Projekt Red, who see BioWare’s closure as a great loss.
The Witcher 3 is easily one of the most beloved RPGs of all time, but it only managed to achieve such status as a direct consequence of BioWare’s hard work in molding the RPG genre and paving the way for more ambitious and experimental roleplaying experiences in video games. CD Projekt Red has acknowledged this in a tribute to the studio, which it posted to its social media shortly after the news broke, prompting even more responses from confused fans wondering why EA chose to shut down BioWare in the first place.
It was perhaps as a result of Mass Effect 5 getting positive updates as recently as April that the news of the studio’s closure came as such a shock. CD Projekt Red’s joint CEO Michał Nowakowski expressed that shock in a moving post via X, which touched on the loss of BioWare. In his post, he wrote about how much of a role BioWare played in CD Projekt’s life as a studio, starting with CD Projekt Red’s involvement in the Polish localization and release of the original Baldur’s Gate all the way back in 1999.
Since then, the two studios have had a close working relationship, with BioWare even granting CD Projekt Red access to its Aurora Engine (used on massive titles like Neverwinter Nights and Knights of the Old Republic) for the development of the original Witcher, the game that got CD Projekt Red’s name out there and ultimately its true start in the industry. As Nowakowski writes, BioWare even shared space with CD Projekt Red during the 2004 E3 showcase in a bid to help it showcase its new RPG to the world. Nowakowski’s post read as follows:
Bioware has been a massive part of CDPR history. We befriended them when localizing and selling Baldur’s Gate games in Poland, Czech, and Slovakia. And later they were great help when lending us their engine for Witcher 1, sharing their wisdom and even giving us a spot at their booth at E3. I had a pleasure to visit them a few times in Edmonton and also host them in our Warsaw office. Very sad for the people affected, but also sad to see a legendary brand go down. Not a great day in the games industry.
It’s clear from this post that BioWare had both a huge impact on the RPG genre as a whole and on individual studios working within the space. The fact that it took the time to assist in the development of an up-and-coming studio like CD Projekt Red, which has risen to the same levels of fame BioWare once effortlessly enjoyed, is incredibly moving and a testament to just how profoundly meaningful a studio BioWare truly was.
Sure, losing the likes of Mass Effect and Dragon Age is a tough blow for fans, but the loss of the studio itself is far greater, its role in the history of the entire industry and individual studios being so significant that it felt as integral to it as EA itself. Of course, in its wake, it leaves an industry deeply influenced by its work, by its employees, and by itself.
Throughout its shepherding of the RPG genre, BioWare has inspired a new generation of developers to join it in shaping the future of the genre and build upon the foundations it laid so beautifully. It is a great loss, one affecting everyone, including, of course, The Witcher 3’s developer, and one that will be felt forever.
- Released
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May 19, 2015
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content
- Engine
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REDengine 3
- Cross-Platform Play
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yes
- Cross Save
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yes
- Expansions
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The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone, The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine
- Franchise
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The Witcher
