Over the past few weeks, BioWare has been teasing the reveal of a new IP through cryptic trailers and mysterious e-mails. The game, allegedly titled Shadow Realms, is a completely new title for BioWare and is in development by the mainline Edmonton team led by Casey Hudson. Well, that last part was true up until today.
As revealed by Hudson and then confirmed by BioWare, the former Mass Effect Creative Director has left the developer after 16 years of employment. Hudson had nothing but good things to say about his time at BioWare, but felt now was the time to "hit the reset button."
In addition to sharing great memories from his tenure at BioWare, Hudson assured fans that what the Montreal team is doing with the Mass Effect will deliver the "best experience to date." Similarly, he has the utmost confidence that the Dragon Age: Inquisition team will deliver a role-playing experience that satisfies a wide range of tastes.
"After what already feels like a lifetime of extraordinary experiences, I have decided to hit the reset button and move on from BioWare. I’ll take a much needed break, get perspective on what I really want to do with the next phase of my life, and eventually, take on a new set of challenges. This is without a doubt the most difficult decision of my career.”
Obviously, some will be wondering why Hudson chose now to announce his departure, but we'll likely never get the full reason. The timing does draw some suspicion given that BioWare is knee deep in a new Mass Effect game, which they teased at E3 and Comic-Con, and a completely new IP, which will apparently be revealed at Gamescom, but perhaps Hudson wanted to put his teams on the right track not just abandon them with no direction.
“Development for the next Mass Effect game is well underway, with stunning assets and playable builds that prove the team is ready to deliver the best Mass Effect experience to date. And the Dragon Age: Inquisition team is putting the final touches on a truly ambitious title with some of the most beautiful visuals I’ve seen in a game.”
And while some may say good riddance to Hudson based on his work on Mass Effect 3, it's important to remember he was more than just Mass Effect. Over the course of his career at BioWare, Casey Hudson had his hand in almost every big project, from Neverwinter to Knights of the Old Republic. Yes, he will be known as the creator of Mass Effect — a major accomplishment in and of itself — but he was a huge part of BioWare as a whole.
It is for that reason that Hudson's departure is not only disappointing but also exciting. The prospect of him taking up residence at a new studio or even starting up his own has us very intrigued. But regardless of that, we wish Hudson all the best and are eager to find out what's next.
Are you surprised to hear Casey Hudson left BioWare? Where would you like to see the former Mass Effect Director end up?
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Source: BioWare
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