Studio founders Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka sound off on possibility of a massively multiplayer online game in Mass Effect universe, say it would be "daunting" but "really interesting."
The Mass Effect trilogy is coming to an end next month with the release of Mass Effect 3, but the sci-fi franchise might be just beginning.
In a new interview with Penny Arcade, BioWare founders Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka sounded off on the possibility of a massively multiplayer online game set in the Mass Effect universe.
"It's daunting, but the neat thing is it would lend itself to a different type of game play. It's fun to think about," Zeschuk said. "I imagine people think it would be just like Mass Effect as it is… but there's lots of people there. It's really interesting, I don't know. It's a tough one."
Muzyka continued, saying the Mass Effect universe has a large "possibility space," or areas to which the franchise can and should extend.
"When you deliver a game, and you deliver it for a player, you have to capture what they think is the possibility space," he said. "You need to let them do everything they think they should do, and you can't block them from doing anything they think they should be able to do. You have to nail all the features and content that should be in that possibility space."
If BioWare does move forward on a Mass Effect MMO game, it would be on top of December's Star Wars: The Old Republic. That game has sold more than 2 million units and currently boasts a subscriber base of 1.7 million.
This is not the first time BioWare has talked about continuing the Mass Effect franchise. Earlier this month, BioWare's Michael Gambel said the studio has "so much to draw from" if it decides to make a new game in the series.
Mass Effect 3 is due out on March 6 for the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. For more on the trilogy-capping space-faring role-playing title, check out GameSpot's demo video stream.
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
after playing the ME3 multiplayer i can see som good pvp gameplay, if they could implement some large pvp events, like in guild wars 2 where they have 100vs100vs100 battle grounds with strategic points to capture and hold, and lasts for 7 days! i would play it 24/7!
and instead of the ussual dungeons where u go through a tunnel or follow a path u could use the same style of team play as u have in the ME3 multiplayer where u have to deffend an area against waves of enemies with ur friends.
if anyone were going to make a new type of mmorpg i belive ME would be the perfect choice.
There u go guys... ME3 hasn't even received an official review yet and these clowns have started to dream about an MMO, which in itself is a FLAWED genre. This is cause game developers have started thinking about US - the gamers as lambs for slaughter. An easy way to milk money from and bail them and their families out of financial trouble. To hell with you BIOWARE.. I ain't buying your stuff unless it's a single player experience. I am the butcher and not the lamb.
I don't think I'd like a Mass Effect MMO very much. Don't get me wrong; Mass Effect is possibly my favorite series out there. But I feel like part of what's fun is the effort they put into the best single-player experience possible. Devoting lots of time and resources to an MMO, especially so shortly after ToR, (or even at all, frankly) seems quite disappointing to me. I may be completely wrong if such a thing ever gets made and proves to be good, but a Mass Effect MMO just sounds like a bad idea. I'm not holding my breath.
No no no no no. And no. Why? Is because I take my time playing these types of games as I love to be absorb in the world they created for me. My playing time is normally 3x the norm so I would be spending 3x as much as the 'average' player. Again no. Let me have my world (as I paid for it).
Actually, I'm going to revise my earlier post about No to ME MMO. With one massive caveat: Get rid of the Massively. Keep the game as it is now: the player controls a small team of special operations personnel in field combat. tear servers down from thousands of players at once, to just a few hundred or less. Normal 5-mans, become 2-man teams of two human players, and their four AI controlled squadmates. Raids go up to 4 and 6 player groups. Stay thick on the story, light on the "OMG NEWBS DON'T NEED TO RUN THIS INSTANCE!!" BS. THAT might work as an ME MMO. it would keep people able to have their own stories, and share small stories with diverse players, without it becoming an obligation.
Please give us more single player content! I am not interested at all in another MMO. I am one of the biggest KOTOR fans, but I won't be playing the new game because I don't have enough time and money to dedicate to an MMO.
Yes to more games in the ME universe, No to the MMO idea. Keep going down this path, and we won't be able to do jack squat without being online. I'm happy to pay for my internet service (as opposed to, say, car insurance) because, as it sits right now, it's optional. If I get laid off, it's one of the first things to go--and it doesn't affect either family time around the 360 or my own personal gaming enjoyment if I do so. I'd hate that to change.
If there going to create an MMO it better damn well be good and in a time frame between the 1st ME and ME3 (Fighting the reapers etc) otherwise I don't see the point in an MMO, and if or when they do make it, it better be GOOD unlike ToR which lacked in so many ways its not funny. An about Graphic's! OMG I'm getting tired of these damn Textures being ported over from the Consoles! I'm not using a damn X1950 XT! with 256MB! *Basically what the consoles are using* my HD4890s capable of cranking out 1080p just peachy! so wtf is with these 256x256 textures in ME1,2 & 3!....talk about going the cheap lazy route....Ok that's my 1 cents...For Now..
After playing the ME3 multiplayer, I could see them making a great mmo if they kept it close to that, and make sure they dont let the team that made the SWTOR mmo anywhere near it.
Truth be told, Mass effect's universe would be a good place for an MMO. It's rich and full of detail and interesting races. But I'm just not sure how they would implement it.
@Dimebag_Darrell What you're suggesting is actually a very cool idea and I'd be all for it. The problem with that might be convincing EA to price it in a cost effective manner. Since to a developer a game is like an investment, Bioware will likely be itching to see quicker returns to invest in new projects. I would certainly love it if what you're suggesting would be done but I remain a little doubtful as to how much it'll happen
Developers and Publishers are always looking for more ways to mint money. It is entirely up to them to decide, but as a loyal Bioware fan since the days of Baldur's Gate, I really hope that Bioware will regain some senses and stop all these nonsense about D1 DLCs, MMORPG for what was a great single player game etc. They should really stick to the roots, looks at Baldur's Gate, you don't need MMO or extra silly stuff to make it a great game! Just stick to the roots! ( BTW gonna cancel my TOR subscription soon, game is really boring me)
Although another MMO is not something I really care for, I still think it could be great (if done well). Personally, I would rather see the extension of the ME universe with single player RPG's (maybe multiplayer co op). There is so much that can be done, different species, different wars, aftermath of the Reaper invasion, hell even move away from the grand scale things and have a game where you build up your own mercenary group. An MMO would probably be the last game that would be created, so it would remove all that possibility.
I love Mass Effect, but the thought of it as an MMO? It might be good, but I would still prefer it as a solid single-player experience. Heck, that's the reason I loved it in the first place.
If they're already talking about it, that means they have already made the decision to hype it. If they've already made the decision to hype it, then they have already made the decision to create an ME MMORPG. Remember, this is EA we're talking about. Bioware is no more.
A Mass Effect MMO, as long as it holds the same artistic, graphical, and gameplay qualities of ME2 and 3 (I like the pseudo cover based ability/shooter mix as opposed to the first ME), would be the best thing that could ever happen to me ever. Do want. Do want so bad.
If the next ME is an MMO, I'm out - I refuse to subscribe to any game. I'd hope there's scope to be another race or "the bad guys" while remaining a single player RPG.
If Bioware wants to continue the Mass Effect series then continue with Mass Effect. Don't jank with it and crank out an MMO and think that's what people want. Gamers want more of what they've come to expect from Mass Effect. Why do they think people are so hyped about Mass Effect 3? It certainly isn't because of the possibility of this series branching into the MMO arena. It's an RPG without the MMO and people like it just fine like that.
I just hope that they also make more Mass Effect rpg on the console's. Maybe from an asari's standpoint either sometime in the past or future from ME's current time line. There is so much they can do with this vast universe. lol how about Hannar diplomat: a entire game based on you being a hannar and blinking and floating and talking lol (Just kidding) lol
Yes please :). I love the Mass Effect series. Favorite games ever. I would certainly go for this. If not an MMO, I hope they still continue the ME series.
I will buy anything Mass Effect related!!!! I have all the games in collector edition (3rd pre-ordered obviously) all the figures, comics and books. I love this universe as much as I do Star Wars I really think this is on par with Star wars. So so awesome! And @Ka113 Thank you for the Stargate comments I love Stargate have all the figures series and my own costume it is definetly an underated property!!!!! Thumbs up for the facts about the games too!!! I really wish Stargate: Alliance would of made it, it looked so very awesome!
It was just so damn obvious.. The minute Bioware started talking about 'so much to draw from', you could tell there was a MMO-nip in the air. I can't believe such a developer can so easily be influenced by their publisher. Goddamn EA. Here in Belgium we have this studio called Larian Studios. They publish their own games. They make their own rules. They don't make MMO's. Bioware, cut the crap, just don't. I bought SWTOR because I like the Star Wars universe, I loved KOTOR and I heard you could play it singleplayer all the way through. And yeah, I'm enjoying it, but it could've been so much more if the title only said KOTOR 3. Bioware, don't do anything foolish and keep Mass Effect the lovely SP experience it is, you'll only ruin it for those like me and many others out there. And if EA comes a knockin, tell em to stick it where the sun doesn't shine.
@Genchild Yes there was an FPS called Stargate: Alliance in the works years ago. Stargate Worlds wasn't cancelled due to being "dorky". The economy went belly-up and they lost their funding (as did a lot of small studios and other companies). Along with some problem with the higher-ups of Skyfire (the developers) eventually caused the collapse. Stargate Resistance was made during that time and used the material from Worlds in an attempt to at least get a few bucks for all that work. I'd however say that Star Wars is the dorky and Stargate the nerdy. Stargate has never, in my opinion, gotten the audience and credit it deserves. It would make excellent games with the right people at the helm. SW has been milked for two decades now and there's so much crap that's considered "canon" (mitoclorins anyone?) it's hard to make anything original with it. Stargate doesn't have that problem and as a developer you've got a lot of freedom. It's a dream of mine to work with the Stargate franchise. Be it games, TV or another couple of movies..
sad how some people are already paying extra fees for xbox live (rofl) when theyre alllllllllready paying for their internet connection and STILL would put 15$ a month to play a game.
seeing how SWTOR is as dumbed down on release as WoW became after 6 years (sad) my friend tricked me into that pile of s*** for a month n Im not ever purchasing one of those no-diversity cookie-cutter rpg pay-per-month MMO trash again.
Not MMO please!!! I knew it, starts with adding the multiplayer then straight to MMO. That's it EA/Bioware forget where ME started from- A great single player, storytelling, character building RPG and ruin it with MMO.
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