Bioware is officially shutting down. Struggling with the closure of a beloved studio, here are some words of its lasting impact.
I still remember the day Daft Punk announced they were breaking up. February 22nd, 2021. Sure, they had not released a new album since their forward-thinking 2013 opus Random Access Memories, but as a fan, you always hold on to hope. A new single, tour, or maybe even remasters of their old work. But that never came. Without much fanfare, they just… stopped existing. Their music had helped me come out of my cocoon as an introvert and connect with others. I know that both Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo are still alive and working on other projects, but a part of me died that day. Today, it is with deep regret that I say it is happening again: Bioware is shutting down.
The first time I played Dragon Age Origins was in late 2010 halfway through high school. I was not really plugged into internet discourse as much as I am today. I was literally strolling by a game store at a mall, and that striking white and red cover with the word DRAGON was enough for a fantasy-loving nerd like me. As a kid who grew up with strictly Nintendo consoles until the PlayStation 3, I had never really thought much about narrative in games. Even when I played exclusives at the time like Resistance and Uncharted, I had fun but was not moved. At least, not until I immersed myself in Bioware’s dark world.
My first playthrough, of which there have been several throughout the years, was that of a noble dwarf. From the get-go, I was awed by how my story of deep corruption in politics and betrayal was just the prologue. It left my teenager’s mind baffled by the complexity of the worldbuilding. Thedas is a world that has gone through centuries of strife in its history; you just happen to be living in one of the later periods. Learning about it and eventually fighting back against the darkspawn meant that my character’s name was going to be in the history books. There had never been a bigger thrill like that for a newcomer like me.
Just think about it today: six origin stories (most of which sadly chose the path of the boring white human) that a majority of players won’t see. But Bioware still swung for the fences. It did not matter that only 5% of the player base was going to pursue a certain side quest or dialogue choice. Everything mattered. It all felt like you were the one creating your legend in real time in every branching path.
I am certain that just like I attached myself to my Aeducan, others will come and say that their elf was as courageous as they wish they were in real life. Maybe Dragon Age even gave them the strength to actually make that change. That is the power of Bioware’s storytelling.
Like many, I fell in love with Morrigan. Come to think of it, it was probably the first time I “had sex” in a game. It was quite surprising, to say the least. What could have been a simple throwaway storyline, they treated it with respect. They talked about consent. As the goth queen we all loved, Morrigan did not have any reservations about what she wanted and how she was going to get it. Voiced by the commanding Claudia Black, it left an impression on me that seeing her in subsequent games warmed my heart every time. Even as cold as the character is.
I stepped away from gaming for a couple of years after college until 2017. And how lucky I was that Dragon Age Inquisition was on sale when I got a PlayStation 4. God, man, I still remember like it was yesterday. The graphics, the new tactical system, the heightened stakes. And Varric, my dear old friend, was just introduced to me at that time. I loved his snark. Even in the face of insurmountable danger, he would rally everyone to never give up.
And Cassandra! Oh, this stoic warrior with a heart of gold. Where Dragon Age games have shined the most for me is in the intimate moments of banter while exploring. Where other games would just spout generic one-liners, here it was always a chance to get to know your party better. I would sometimes simply walk about hoping to trigger more of these conversations.
This series means a lot to me, not only for the sprawling worldbuilding itself but also for its queer representation. There is a quest in Dragon Age Inquisition—that can be completely omitted—in which you go with the eloquent Dorian to come out to his father. It is an extremely difficult interaction. I remember that at that time, a gay friend was going through a similar experience, and seeing it happen in-game made me realize how much harder it was than I could have ever thought. For a game to make you empathize with real scenarios speaks volumes about how beautifully they handled such subject matter.
And then there’s Dragon Age The Veilguard. My game of the year in 2024 was something that I so deeply wanted to get my hands on. At the end of the Tresspasser DLC of Inquisition, it was quite clear where the game was heading, but taking eight years to launch was something I did not expect.
My nostalgia was still there. Varric, and now Scout Harding as a playable character, was a heartwarming surprise. Taash, Lucanis, and Emmrich—they all taught me something in their experience. The courage to be who you want to be, or overcoming the fear of death—always seemed like these massive topics have no business in a video game. Bioware tackled them with grace.
All things come to an end. I know that the writing was on the wall. With every new game launched, EA sliced and diced the studio like it was nothing. Great developers, some of whom are now working on their own studios, rejected by an abhorrent parent company who does not care about art. Bioware is gone. There will be no more stories. I still cannot accept that fact, which is why I am writing this. As much an obituary as a walk down memory lane from a group of incredibly talented artists that forever marked millions of lives, there is only one thing left to say. Thank you, Bioware, for inspiring so many of us to believe in ourselves.
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