Next idea for a BioWare game

Since BioWare tackled two space operas (Star Wars: KOTOR, Mass Effect), three fantasy settings (Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Dragon Age) and one Chinese martial arts game (Jade Empire), which setting do you think BioWare should tackle next?

For me, I would have liked to see BioWare develop a modern-day cops-and-robbers game on the level of Grand Theft Auto. You could either play as a cop or criminal and go through the very things they'd normally go through, robbing banks for the latter, arresting criminals for the former. However, like past BioWare games, it would involve socializing with your AI-controlled teammates and resolving their character-arcs.

I'd also like to see BioWare tackle a high school setting, similar to all of those Japanese visual novels. It won't have combat, considering that the player would be in high school. But, it would most definitely feel appropriate for BioWare's signature socializing and multiple character-arcs, as you make all sorts of friends, resolve their stories, and even romance one of them.

They were doing that horror fantasy looking game and stopped development.

I'm not sure. I am not assuming they are going to make a different IP right now given how they cancelled that last game.

I am that guy who would love a Jade Empire 2. First wasn't perfect but loved a lot about it. I like the high school suggestion. Something with a bit different of an atmosphere would be nice. That was nice about Jade Empire and is also nice about something like Persona that uses school well. I do enjoy my big RPGs with the world at stake but when games do something different its really refreshing. Especially if it isn't particularly dark. I'm playing Chroma Squad right now and it gets major points from me just for that reason.

I think there is a possibility for a KOTOR sequel coming out in the future given how Star Wars seems to be changing. I could see that getting licensed to EA to make an RPG by Bioware. And that could co exist with new Mass Effect.

cyberpunk is my stock answer to everything.

feudal japan or ancient rome would be cool as well. actually, i'd love for someone to take on a historical fiction account of mesopotamia/fertile crescent/sumer. there's enough known to paint a picture, but enough relatively unknown that you could take some interesting liberties.

I second ancient Rome. It's such a cool setting that is so rarely utilized. There are 1000 games that take place in a pseudo feudal/medieval Europe, but few that take place in a setting akin to ancient Rome.

It's worth saying that Bioware is no longer the same Bioware they were when they started Mass Effect... sadly.

@artisanbreads: What project did Bioware cancel?

I believe it was called shadow realms. But it didn't exactly sound super promising to me.

@twinsun said:

Shadow Realms was some kind of MOBA thing that the Austin studio was developing. The Austin studio is behind SWTOR and is not really BioWare proper.

I've said this a few times but I'd like to see BioWare's take on a modern day RPG. Something like Shenmue, or detective themed.

That was supposed to be a MOBA? Didn't see that information.

EDIT: Yeah looking at the info, it wasn't. It was more like a Left 4 Dead almost with RPG mechanics. It was supposed to be a 4 on 1 multiplayer thing. Not sure how it was supposed to play. Or even that that sounds good, just that it wasn't another MOBA.

Ah right, now I remember why I didn't think it sounded very promising. But then again I'm not really someone interested in any kind of MOBA.

@s10129107: That is the unfortunate truth. It's what happens every time EA buys out a developer. I fucking hate EA and everything they produce.

I'd kind of like to see Bioware tackle something root in reality. Cop drama or slice of life maybe? Bioware's characters were always stronger than the plot so I'd like to see them try something grounded. I suppose the issue is you don't have an easy way to fill a game with combat or leveling up.

1970s crime noir.

Based on their past work I think they have an attraction to the fantastical, so I don't see them doing anything grounded in reality. I like the school idea though. But only if it's as weird as Brick.

something steampunk i suppose, if they did something with a modern setting I would hope it's similar to Vampire the Masquerade bloodlines.

I'd like to see them tackle some historical fiction of some kind. Something that hasn't been touched.

Superhero RPG. Just...just going to throw that out there because why not.

Monster Inc.

Cyberpunk.

@donchipotle: Even better, it'll be a homage to Super Sentai, like Chroma Squad before it, but with socializing with teammates and resolving their character-arcs, just like past BioWare games!

Cyberpunk, noir, or cyberpunk-noir.

This really would make a lot of sense.

Citadel Cops, a game with Garrus Vakarian as the main character.

A chosen person has to save the world using a magical item while winning over allies. Also sex. Fund it!

Well, they have sci-fi and medieval fantasy covered....

a) Something fictional based on the life of Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, the notorious English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of the American colonies. So a whole pirate themed action RPG.

c) Something fictional based on the life of Kusunoki Masashige. Masashige began as a small time land owner who answered emperor Go-Daigo’s request for military assistance during the Nanbokucho Wars. Starting as a small-time leader with only five hundred men to his credit, Masashige rose through the ranks serving as a general loyal to the emperor Go-Daigo during the Nanbokucho Wars. So a whole samuari themed action RPG.

d) Something fictional based on the life of Odysseus the king of Ithaca and son of Laertes was considered the most clever Greek hero, he was protected by Athena, goddess of wisdom. So , the whole greek hero themed action RPG.

So pirates, samurai, or a greek hero.

Considering Bioware's history of prioritizing character development and relationships, as someone who works in mental health research, I would love to see them tackle that field more directly, since I don't think it has been explored very often within video games. This particular idea might have been done before, but perhaps you play as a psychologist with the ability to enter peoples' minds, which could essentially be like navigating different worlds or genres, since the environment could take on the personality and thoughts of whoever you're working with (fantasy-horror for psychosis, school-based environment for anxiety/depression, etc.). You would interact with persona's created by both yourself and the other person, allowing for both consistent and situation-based characters, and attempt to resolve all those relationships, and whatever the underlying theme the person is struggling with. I don't know, I think it would be fun.

If nothing else, I would totally play the Citadel Cops game with Garrus that someone mentioned earlier - that sounds pretty great!

Bioware's Bad Lieutenant.

For an RPG, I'd pick something set in Greek mythology or a steampunk setting. Maybe something which combines genres. There was a table top RPG back in the 90's in which the world had been split up into various zones. Dinosaurs, cyberpunks, Old West, samurai, fantasy-magic, etc...all in one game depending on where you went. It would be pretty ambitious for any developer, but I'd still like to see them take a crack at it.

Aren't they working on a new ip? I remember them showing a picture of a tree or something at e3 last year and saying they had a new game in the works. It wasn't the shadow realms game, something else. For my money something Ancient Rome or modern is what I'd like to see. Wonder if we could get a kickstarter to free Gladius from Disney?

They are. The Mass Effect team (which has origins as the KOTOR team) is working on something completely new, while the other half of Bioware proper (Edmonton) is doing Dragon Age stuff. Bioware Montreal is doing the next Mass Effect. Shadow Realms was Bioware Austin (The Old Republic).

I would like them to tackle a more realistig setting ... after recently playing GTA5 I also would like them to do some Police/Gangster stuff ... or anything else realistic tbh. Just not Military.

I doubt it would be Cyberpunk, I mean there is so much of that stuff already incorporated in to Mass Effect already. Unless they do a spin off game where you play as Garrus on the Citadel.

Time Travel.

The big choices involve rewriting history. The enemies are incorporeal time beings who are guardians of the timeline and seek to destroy humanity now that they've discovered time travel (as it is a power that will be abused). Party members come from different parts of time. Main character comes from a slight future (think time cop era). There's probably already an evil individual who is using time travel in the first place to prompt the Time Guardians to try and destroy humanity. Of course that's only after the protagonists have stopped the first villain.

Time Guardians are probably best saved for the second game actually.

Then the third game will reveal the time guardians were only a pawn race of an all-dominating Time-Sentient which just straight up starts destroying parts of the world in the timeline and you need to rally the different cultures throughout time to contribute to your EMS to stop the Time-Sentient

Gotta be some kind of historical fiction. I think they'll just keep running Dragon Age and Mass Effect further into the ground though.