KOTOR, Mass Effect lead writer Drew Karpyshyn leaves BioWare

By Robert Purchese Published 17 February, 2012

Not because of Mass Effect: Deception.

Drew Karpyshyn, the lead writer of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect 1, has retired from BioWare and video games.

The parting was "completely amicable and 100 per cent my decision", wrote Karpyshyn on his website. (His website post didn't mention his retirement from video games as a whole, but his post on Twitter did.)

He retired to focus on writing books, "screenplays and other projects". He wants to finish the first book in his own original fantasy series, Children of Fire.

revan

Darth Revan and Darth Malak - Karpyshyn's handywork.

Karpyshyn has a decorated career. He co-lead wrote Mass Effect 2 and, for the last three years, has been instrumental in writing Star Wars: The Old Republic.

He also helped write Jade Empire; Neverwinter Nights and expansion Hordes of the Underdark; and Baldur's Gate 2 and expansion Throne of Bhaal - his first "significant contribution" to a BioWare project.

On top of that, Karpyshyn wrote the three not-rubbish Mass Effect novels - Revelation, Ascension and Retribution; he wrote a book about KOTOR character Revan and KOTOR 2 character the Exile; he wrote a Throne of Bhaal book; and he's writing a Star Wars: The Old Republic book.

He's also written three Star Wars novels about Darth Bane, and a standalone fantasy tale called Temple Hill.

"As of last week, I have officially retired from BioWare," announced Karpyshyn.

"The story and dialogue in any BioWare game is the result of an entire team of writers working together, and I often felt I received an excessive amount of the credit for the games we created."

Drew Karpyshyn, former star BioWare writer

"I know going forward that BioWare will continue to live up to its well deserved reputation for making the best story-driven games in the industry. The story and dialogue in any BioWare game is the result of an entire team of writers working together, and I often felt I received an excessive amount of the credit for the games we created.

"The Dragon Age games and the continued success of the Mass Effect series after my departure make it pretty clear that BioWare can get along just fine without me, and I'm looking forward to experiencing the games as a fan rather than from the other side of the fence."

"I realise some of you may be shocked by this announcement. Maybe even disappointed. My identity has been closely tied with BioWare ever since I crawled into the public eye, and I know it's a risk to move away from my comfort zone.

"However," he added, "I feel that [it's] an essential step for every creative artist to take at some point. It keeps us fresh, it keeps us energised."

Karpyshyn closed by saying he has a "great appreciation" for - and "fond memories" of - his time at BioWare.

Sniffle.

Incidentally, BioWare's lead Dragon Age writer is David Gaider, and Mass Effect 3's lead writer was Mac Walters.

Mike Laidlaw co-wrote Jade Empire with Lukas Kristjanson, who both still work at BioWare. Just saying.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (49) Latest comment 3 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • GiarcYekrub #1 3 months ago

    David Gaider, is the one that thinks decapitation is sometimes not fatal right?

  • Srift #2 3 months ago

    Good luck out there Karpyshyn. Cheers.
    Edited by Srift at 17/02/12 @ 10:58

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #3 3 months ago

    @GiarcYekrub Nearly Headless Nick should know - try him?

  • Lexx87 #4 3 months ago

    Was he the lead writer for just ME1, or the entire series?

    Would explain things story wise, as the story in ME1 was absolutely excellent.

    Where the ME3 demo makes it feel like War of the Worlds or something rubbish.

  • Centrifugal #5 3 months ago

    He's done a great job, all his books are good reads and he helped create one of the greatest sci-fi universes in gaming and more. Best of luck to him.

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #6 3 months ago

    @Lexx87 He was the lead writer of ME1, co-lead of ME2, but nothing on ME3 - he was working on SWTOR.

    Having said that, I'm sure he had a say in the ME3 story.
    Edited by Bertie at 17/02/12 @ 11:08

  • guernican #7 3 months ago

    Thanks for that photo. I've just remembered what a needy, whiny bitch Carth was.

  • guernican #8 3 months ago

    Sits back and awaits copious negs...

  • Chelladox #9 3 months ago

    I'm probably going to get hate for this, but:

    "I know going forward that BioWare will continue to live up to its well deserved reputation for making the best story-driven games in the industry."

    Sorry, but that's an insult to quite a numberof other games. I never played KOTOR, but there are so many other games whose story was more memorable to me than that of any Bioware game. Better, or more well-presented. Bastion is just one quick example from the top of my head. That story will stick with me far longer than any Bioware game.

    It's okay to claim that Bioware has good story-driven games, but the best in the industry? Go away.

  • martlev #10 3 months ago

    He is a great writer, I will pick up his original book when it gets released. While he wasn't involved in ME3 his influence will hopefully be felt.

  • Machetazo #11 3 months ago

    The writer of Baldur's Gate 2? I enjoyed the characterisation and plot of that game, and its expansion a great deal. Karpyshyn it's clear, made a superb contribution to modern gaming, and I wish him every future success. :)

  • Lexx87 #12 3 months ago

    Cheers Bertie,

    That actually makes quite a lot of sense, cheers. It's a shame I'd have liked him to have lead the whole series!

  • Whitster #13 3 months ago

    @Lexx87 You best be refering to the Tom Cruise War of the Worlds and not the original book (or the Jeff Wayne musical)!

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #14 3 months ago

    @Lexx87 Yeah, what a selfish so-and-so!

    Must be nice for him to be free of his creative shackles now. I'm going to keep an eye on what he comes up with. Assume he's financially safe and sound.

  • Lexx87 #15 3 months ago

    @Whitser

    Tom Cruise one yes. As I said in the thread about this...

    ME1 set up the Reapers as a force where just the one you meet and talk to, could wipe out the entire Universe itself.

    Then in the 3 demo you see a whole army of them crash down with no subtely at all, and just start banging laser beams about? What?

  • Lexx87 #16 3 months ago

    @Bertie

    The Mass Effect books written by him are really quite good, and fill out the games quite well :)

  • Eldritch #17 3 months ago

    Would be even better for him to quit Twitter, too, while he's at it.

  • jeeweej #18 3 months ago

    NOOOOoooooo......!!!!! WHY DREW?? WHY?? :( Oh...wait...more books? EXCELLENT! Looking forward to them!

    Anyway, i think the BW games he wrote for are the best BW has published, still loving the stories in SWTOR to death, which -for me at least- proves my point. (and yes, there were more writers working on SWTOR, i know)

    Anyway, best of luck to him! :)

  • Subdominator #19 3 months ago

    JJ Abrams, hire this guy and make a procedural space crime series.

  • Subdominator #20 3 months ago

    @Chelladox True. Naughty Dog says they have the best writing in any game and so Bioware can only be in second place.

  • dudefella #21 3 months ago

    Actually, the first Mass Effect book was pretty atrocious also. Terrible dialogue throughout.

  • bad09 #22 3 months ago

    Those screenies make me want to install KOTOR again, I only replayed it last autumn to :)

  • KingFunkIII #23 3 months ago

    @guernican You're on +4 right now. I think we've just discovered a universal truth...

  • jeeweej #24 3 months ago

    @KingFunkIII Indeed! Hated that guy to death. :p I wish there was an option to let HK-47 loose on that whiny meatbag.. ;)

  • Wizard83 #25 3 months ago

    His book on Revan was total shit and just a tie-in to give the MMO some weight!:mad:

    That said the 1st Darth Bane book was one of the best Star Wars books written to date. :-)

  • yoomazir #26 3 months ago

    R.I.P. Bioware...

  • hiddenranbir #27 3 months ago

    So it all started promising and then Bioware ran it into the ground. Oh well!

    "completely amicable and 100 per cent my decision"

    Cause it is totally normal for people to let us know that when it was legit. :D
    Edited by hiddenranbir at 17/02/12 @ 12:12

  • Headless_Monkey_Boy #28 3 months ago

    Do a Jade Empire quick, while you still have some writers that care :-P

  • photoboy #29 3 months ago

    Slowly but surely it seems EA are working their usual magic on Bioware and forcing out all the creative people that made it a success in the first place.

    Give it a couple of years and Mass Effect will be on annual sequels and have EA Trax providing all the music.

  • Gastrian #30 3 months ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • anomagnus #31 3 months ago

    @Lexx87

    Did you play ME1? In no way did it set it up that one reaper could wipe the whole universe. Its explictly mentioned several times that Soverign had to keep a low profile, because as powerful as he was, he wasn't able to stand up to a combined fleet action, as profoundly demonstrated at the end of the game.

    The threat from Soverign, the single reaper, was his abilty to activate the hidden systems in the citidel, and engage in a surprise attack on the heads of all governments in the ME universe.

    I'm so sick of people not understanding the Reapers story. They are NOT all powerful god machines. Their threat came from their abilty to decapaitate in a surprise move, all resistance, and then gain access to their entire communications network, and transport network.

  • hiddenranbir #32 3 months ago

    @photoboy Bioware bosses were doing that themselves well before EA was in the picture.

  • guernican #33 3 months ago

    @KingFunkIII

    Anyone want to put the boot into Mission while we're here?

  • jeeweej #34 3 months ago

    @guernican i found her to be a bit...."meh". But at least -if you were darksided- you could turn the Wookiee agains her... And NOBODY likes an angry Wookie. (except if you've got a big gun and need a new rug) ;)

  • Inmediasress #35 3 months ago

    Well seeing as how every last shred of creativity left the studio its no surprise EAware try to milk the ME franchise so badly.

  • juliankennedy23 #36 3 months ago

    And yet David Gaider hasn't left to write Twilight fanfic... There is no God.

  • Kanjin #37 3 months ago

    I never got the hate about Carth. He had a sad backstory and said he didn't trust the player to start with, wow, what a jerk?

  • anomagnus #38 3 months ago

    @Inmediasress

    Wow man, just let it go

  • The-Bodybuilder #39 3 months ago

    @Lexx87 lulwut? Sovereign could never whipe out the entire universe. That's one mighty exaggeration.

    Other than that, I agree. ME1 was an utterly stupendously good script. ME2 as great, but certainly not a patch on ME1.
    And him not involved in ME3 is a massive worry to me.

  • The-Bodybuilder #40 3 months ago

    As @anomagnus said.
    All this "Reapers are an unstoppable force" whine is really getting on my nerves.

  • dagas #41 3 months ago

    This is worrying, but I hope there are other writers who can do a good job. I'm getting kind of worried about Bioware, but at least we have yet to hear anythign about DA3 which means they are taking their time with it this time. With the ME trilogy over DA3 has to deliver.

  • Kaminari #42 3 months ago

    Why are people criticizing the action-biased approach of the demo?

    You can bet your bank account that, BioWare had released a ME1 demo, it would have been based on the Pinnacle Station DLC -- which is HARDLY representative of the ME1 experience. So would you kindly cut the crap please.

  • CaptainKid #43 3 months ago

    @anomagnus
    Well, perhaps the story/script should explain it better.

    I think I'm the only person who doesn't think Bioware storytelling is great. In fact I found Mass Effect's 1 and 2's story telling BORING and confusing. The sterile cold non likeable characters and world didn't help either.

    I couldn't force myself playing any further after 30 or so hours with both games. Won't even bother with part 3.
    Edited by CaptainKid at 18/02/12 @ 02:29

  • ExplodingClown #44 3 months ago

    Hold on, he's had a "decorated career"? What, they give out medals for writing now?

    Mr. K's writing may be full of uncomfortably worshipful views of the military, but that doesn't make him a soldier you know.
    Edited by ExplodingClown at 18/02/12 @ 14:06

  • billbiscieglia #45 3 months ago

    To bad he didn't leave before he wrote Revan. *Vomits*

  • Gir554 #46 3 months ago

    @CaptainKid Honestly here,what's your idea of likable characters and interesting story?Here's some likable characters:Joker,Grunt,Wrex,Garrus,Liara,Mordin,Kasumi.None of them were cold or sterile either,that's including all of the ME characters,except Jacob......yeah Jacob was bad.SO please,at least say WHY you hate the characters so much,and why the story is so boring to you,because if you don't then all people will think is that your a Bioware hater.

  • Gir554 #47 3 months ago

    @Kaminari I agree,what would be the point of a story based demo?It doesn't really show what the story is like,and besides isn't story the reason you would actually buy the game?

  • Gir554 #48 3 months ago

    @Lexx87 Did you play any of the Mass Effect games?You always knew sovereign couldn't destroy the universe alone,you also always knew there would be a big Reaper oozing conclusion that includes the invasion of Earth.

  • Gir554 #49 3 months ago

    @Kanjin The hate is because someone can not trust you and have a sad backstory but STILL not be a whiny little bitchhole.(yes that IS a word,atleast to me)You can't have a civilized conversation with Carth,it always ends with yelling and screaming.