BioWare "interested" in modern setting

By Robert Purchese Published 6 July, 2009

"It's rich with possibility."

Renowned RPG maker BioWare may be ready to ditch fantasy and science-fiction and focus on a modern-day setting instead.

"No," answered BioWare's Ray Muzyka when asked by GamesIndustry.biz if it was too soon to depart from familiar ground. "We're interested in a variety of settings.

"We've already pursued a few different ones too: Jade Empire was very different for example from Mass Effect or Dragon Age.

"We are interested in contemporary settings. We haven't announced anything on that front, but it's safe to say that we think it's rich with possibility as well," he said.

BioWare is currently working on high fantasy RPG Dragon Age: Origins and science fiction games Mass Effect 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic.

The studio, which was merged with Mythic recently, is also believed to have another, unannounced game in development. But we're unlikely to find out what that will be until next year, when both Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins are out of the door.

By then, BioWare may have a Project Natal developer kit, as well as tools to build for Sony's PS3 wand. Both present exciting possibilities for a story-teller like BioWare.

"It's very interesting. And Natal looks exceptionally interesting as a platform extension. I think it's a really powerful idea," said Muzyka.

"I think it applies very much to an emotionally-engaging narrative and a story-driven game. Fulfilling characterisation more completely in games is I guess a way to achieve that.

"So it's something we'd be interested in exploring," he added. "We haven't made any announcements or anything, but it's an intriguing technology that I think we'd want to see more of and see what we could do with it."

Dragon Age: Origins will be released on 23rd October for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Mass Effect 2 will arrive early next year and Star Wars: The Old Republic has yet to be given a date.

Head over to GamesIndustry.biz for the full interview with BioWare's doctor bosses Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, in which they discuss the blossoming of the videogame industry, romantic comedy games and much more.

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.

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

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Comments (22) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • AphoticCosmos #1 3 years ago

    Hmm, interesting.

  • BabyJesus #2 3 years ago

    Actually speaking to NPCs in RPG's would be a quite nice way for Natal to work. Also for use the motion capture for inventory management, casting spells and so on. But for the love of all things holy don't make it a mini game fest and don't feel you have to make everything Natal compatible.

  • Ranger101 #3 3 years ago

    Modern Day RPG classes include:
    ------------------------------------------
    Politician - high charisma stats, not much else
    Plumber - High bartering skills
    Office Worker - Avg stats all rounds - your run of the mill fighter/bard type.
    Police Officer - High Power/Str , low intelligence
    Banker - the Sourcerer/wild mage of the group - does magic (with numbers). fails spectacularly once in a while, casting "Doom" on the party instead.
    Retail Worker - The Barbarian class :p

    I look forward to this game - I'll probably play as a Office Worker on first playthough and then maybe a Banker just to mix things up. I'll be interested to see whether they go with the London based campaign or the New York based one, which might be harder for newbs.

  • _Price_ #4 3 years ago

    How about a proper sequel to one of your most popular games ever? Although I guess that was set a long time ago.

    In a galaxy far, far away....

    /cues music

  • Eraysor #5 3 years ago

    Stop talking and make ME2 faster. I can't wait.

  • Triggerhappytel #6 3 years ago

    My word, Dragon Age is not actually, finally in danger of getting released is it?! I first read about it in the post E3 2004 Edge issue, where it was slated for a 2005 release!

    Anyway, I can't say I would be as encouraged to see a modern-day RPG as sci-fi/fantasy. Travelling the world talking to enemies/spies/politicians etc would never be as interesting or exciting as flying around the galaxy or taking part in huge medieval-like battles.

  • Evolution #7 3 years ago

    Depends who is making the game.

  • steviepunk #8 3 years ago

    They could be on to something if they can do it well.
    How many present day RPGs are there anyway? The only one that comes to mind for me is Shenmue

  • hiddenranbir #9 3 years ago

    A modern setting will let them be really DARK and MATURE. A lot of GRITTY to be had.

    Can't wait if they go for it, tbh.



    Edit: I always thought NATAL was great to bring back adventure games. Dialogues and stuff are already limited to help funnel you through from scene to scene, could be really cool.
    Edited by 3 at 06/07/09 @ 16:47

  • foolsgold6970 #10 3 years ago

    I always thought of GTA and Saint's Row as modern day Action RPGs anyway.

  • Enliven #11 3 years ago

    @steviepunk
    Bloodlines.

  • Silvervein #12 3 years ago

    Strange. I always thought that the purpose of roleplaying games was to be able to leave grey, mundane reality behind for a bit. Apparently people are really running out of ideas if they think that people would love to roleplay themselves. Just stick a mirror in each game box and there you go. Modern RPG. The only game with realistic graphics and sounds, where main character is you. No matter it's a little nobody in a sea of other nobodies.

  • koopahell #13 3 years ago

    @silvervein

    No.. er.. that's called life.

    GTA is set in a modern environment, does that remind you of your life?! Is blowing up helicopters "mudane reality" for you?

    Just because it's in a modern setting doesn't mean the game is your own ruddy life, for god's... Same applies for any type of game.

  • Fleeby #14 3 years ago

    "it's rich with possibility"

    No shit, Sherlock.

  • Silvervein #15 3 years ago

    Eh. It's down to the personal taste. I live in a city, and I don't want to see more of the same cities in game. Guess that's why I really don't like grand theft series. Since what you get there is mundane reality viewed through the eyes of a homicidal sociopath, lol.
    Edited by 1 at 06/07/09 @ 19:29

  • Yossarian #16 3 years ago

    If you are interested in a modern setting RPG, please buy or at least investigate the possibility of buying Obsidian's latest effort, Alpha Protocol!

    This has been a service message on behalf of Obsidian, brought to you by popular forumite Yossarian.

  • Scimarad #17 3 years ago

    I'd love to see Bioware do a modern RPG but I don't want to be forced to use any of this motion control crap.

  • koopahell #18 3 years ago

    @Silvervein

    Fair play.. I just don't think setting a game in the modern day should automatically make it run of the mill... THAT would be a lack of imagination right there..

  • TriggerHippie #19 3 years ago

    Yeah, look at how the movie industry struggles to find interesting and engaging stories set in modern day cities.....

    I have to admit to an inward groan when I read the article title but a modern setting doesn't necessarily preclude extraordinary elements. Even if the game was fixed firmly in reality there has to be the chance that it might be a story worth telling and experiencing.
    Edited by 3 at 07/07/09 @ 00:07

  • mkreku #20 3 years ago

    I would be sooo happy to finally be able to play an RPG without any magic or supernatural occurrences. Well, except for zombies. Zombies are cool.

  • Gastrian #21 3 years ago

    Prehaps they could do Shenmue 3

  • YourMessageHere #22 3 years ago

    "I would be sooo happy to finally be able to play an RPG without any magic or supernatural occurrences."

    This, a thousand times. I love fantasy in books, but for games I emphatically don't want Arbitrarily Limited Half-formed Sword 'n Sorcery Land 13, wherein magical adventures with orcs and fucking elves await, as soon as your manna recharges. I want a world I can recognise to play in, not just to blow up as the likes of GTA do that job quite well, but also with the ability to interact with what resemble real people, and gameplay rules and limitations that make some attempt to resemble reality, as opposed to a reality that is obviously crafted mostly to justify gameplay rules and limitations. Magic in games inevitably represents a giant Deus Ex Machina which is as much about limiting what you can do as letting you do things.

    Also, I'd never heard of Alpha Protocol. Now, I believe I will be buying it. Thankyou Yossarian and Gozank.