BioWare Drs on Jade Empire comeback

Jade Empire may return - BioWare is "just looking for the right way to deploy it".

That's what BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk told a packed audience at the Eurogaer Expo 2011 today.

"We've been talking a lot about that actually on and off over the years," said Ray Muzyka, BioWare CEO.

"It's an IP, it's a setting that we're really passionate about, and we still are. Both Greg and I were big believers in the IP.

"We're just looking for the right way to deploy it."

"We have a lot of different projects now on a lot of different platforms, and you might see some of that [Jade Empire] in the future. You never know.

"We don't have anything to announce on it right now," Muzyka added, "but it is a franchise that's near and dear to us."

Knights of the Old Republic has a BioWare-developed sequel in the way of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Mass Effect now spans three games. Dragon Age has had two outings and the series will continue to grow.

Jade Empire has been the notable exception in recent years, having only had one release on Xbox and, later, PC.

However, now BioWare is a part of EA, and Muzyka the overlord of all RPGs and MMOs there, the back catalogue of games that could be spun into new adventures has grown.

Muzyka said there was now "a whole variety of different things for future games in our portfolio".

Jade Empire is an Eastern fantasy RPG that follows a young martial artist on a sprawling, magical tale. Eurogamer's Jade Empire review awarded 8/10.