BioWare is currently putting all their eggs into the Anthem basket. The shared-world shooter is their answer to Bungie’s Destiny, and after the poor reception of Mass Effect: Andromeda it’s a big chance to regain a lot of burnt loyalty. But given EA’s stance on studio performance, it might be their best shot at securing their future as well. That destiny won’t be shared by one of BioWare’s biggest names though, as the writer for Anthem (and previously Mass Effect) leaves the studio for a second time.
Drew Karpyshyn has departed from BioWare again, leaving the studio to pursue new work at Fogbank Entertainment, one of the studios that make up FoxNext (21st Century Fox’s gaming division). He’ll join fellow Bioware alumni who have done the same, including Daniel Erikson (the studio head at Fogbank), and former BioWare writer Alex Freed. Karpyshyn is said to be working on a game that VentureBeat describes as a Telltale like experience with one of Fox’s properties, although which one is still up for debate.
This is no small departure from BioWare either. Before working on Anthem, Karpyshyn was the lead writer on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect 1- 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Karpyshyn previously left the studio to write a series of books, but returned in 2015 to head up writing on Anthem. That’s only coming out in 2019, and one would suspect its script to be locked down. But considering how Bungie in the past have made crucial lore changes at the final hour, it might be a little too soon to let go.
That’s not to say Anthem is in dire trouble following this departure, and Karpyshyn himself seems to be leaving with the hopes that it’ll turn out great. Even if his departure starts all sorts of rumours:
I’m sure people will read more into this statement than there really is, but there’s not much I can do about that. I know some people are going to dwell on the past, but that’s not my style. I’m looking to a bright future, and I hope at least some of you will enjoy where this journey leads!
Anthem is out for Xbox One, PC and PS4 sometime in 2019.
Last Updated: March 13, 2018
