Bethesda and BioWare have been undisputed giants of AAA western RPG genre for more than the last decade. The two studios each have their own identifiable style. BioWare RPGs tend to be more character-driven, with a focus on companions and a tight central story. Bethesda RPGs, on the other hand, have focused on player freedom and large worlds, a trend supposedly set to continue with the studio's first new IP in over 24 years, sci-fi RPG Starfield.
Over three years since its initial announcement, fans have only been given a small glimpse at Starfield, with the vast majority of the information coming from Bethesda's E3 2021 showcase. Despite how little is known about the upcoming game, however, there is one aspect of Bethesda's strategy that BioWare should follow.
Bethesda And BioWare's Recent Histories
Bethesda and BioWare may have distinct, identifiable storytelling styles, but the two studios have more in common than just being among the most prestigious western RPG studios. For more than a decade, both have relied almost exclusively on two IPs. For Bethesda, those IPs have been sci-fi RPG series Fallout and fantasy RPG series The Elder Scrolls. For BioWare, those IPs have been sci-fi RPG series Mass Effect and fantasy RPG series Dragon Age.
While both studios were considered among the best in the business ten years ago, both have also suffered recent disappointments when trying to mix up their roster with multiplayer RPGs. For Bethesda this was Fallout 76, a multiplayer take on the dystopian series which even Todd Howard has said "let a lot of people down." For BioWare this was Anthem, a multiplayer action RPG which failed to meet expectations and, despite some planned revamps, has now been left completely behind. In both cases, these came after lukewarm receptions to Fallout 4 and Mass Effect: Andromeda, both of which failed to meet the high expectations of fans.
Diverging Strategies
Despite the similarities between their recent histories, the two studios are now taking opposite approaches to their futures. Bethesda is releasing a new IP in its trademark first-person RPG style. Starfield will be a primarily first-person game set in a large open world with multiple factions, just like Fallout or an Elder Scrolls game.
BioWare, on the other hand, is turning back to its past. Not only did Mass Effect: Legendary Edition see the remaster and re-release of the original Mass Effect trilogy, but Mass Effect 4 appears to be returning the series to original trilogy characters like Liara and possibly even Commander Shepard. Dragon Age 4 is also currently in development, picking up the Dread Wolf plotline from Inquisition.
Until Starfield actually releases it's impossible to say whether or not it will be the success Bethesda is hoping for. However, there are some good reasons that BioWare should also consider developing a new IP in its trademark RPG style. Anthem may have been the studio's last attempt at a new franchise, but it was also a departure from the single-player RPG formula that the studio is known for. Starfield is a new IP, but so far is shaping up to be a recognizable Bethesda RPG.
BioWare's Future
BioWare's return to its two most reliable IPs raises some challenges for the studio's future. The first can already be seen in Mass Effect 4's trailer. The longer BioWare tells stories in its Mass Effect and Dragon Age universes, the more the studio has to dismiss player choices from previous games having any meaningful impact. Mass Effect 4's trailer implies that Mass Effect 3's Destroy Ending is being made canon, for example, showing a dead Reaper.
Dragon Age 4 is dealing with a multi-game story arc with a new player character, and BioWare will likely avoid making some of the different world states from the last game very important. The choice of the Chantry's new Divine Victoria, for example, will largely be rendered irrelevant by moving the setting to Tevinter, which is under the Imperial Chantry. Similarly, the player's chosen side in the Mage-Templar War will likely be largely ignored thanks to the setting, where mages have been free for years.
Other problems with sticking to the same IP for too long can be seen in Andromeda. Mass Effect: Andromeda struggled to get many fans as invested in its new roster of squadmates as they were in the original trilogy's companions. The only companion of a new alien species, Jaal the Angara, was the game's most popular. In the original Mass Effect, all of the player's alien companions offered a unique insight into an unexplored universe, motivating the player to get to know them. By Andromeda, even in a new galaxy, much of the setting's premise already felt explored, likely contributing to Jaal's standout popularity.
Some of BioWare's best stories are self-contained. Dragon Age: Origins, for example, was able to take full advantage of the player's unfamiliarity with its then-new setting. BioWare's last attempt at a new IP may have been a disappointment for the studio, but it should consider embarking on a new IP in its trademark, character-driven, single-player RPG style. While the stories Dragon Age and Mass Effect can tell are now restricted by the series' pasts, a new IP could let BioWare spread its wings in a way it hasn't been able to for over ten years.
It is possible that Bethesda's gamble will not pay off, and that Starfield will not live up to fan or developer expectations. If it succeeds, however, Bethesda will be free from its reliance on Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, two franchises bogged down by immense fan expectations and already-explored settings. With BioWare likely to run into more challenges keeping its two main IPs alive into a new generation, a similar risk might just be worth it if the studio wants to soar back to its former heights.
Starfield launches November 11, 2022, on PC and Xbox Series X/S.