BioWare: More Than Just a Game Studio
Some stories stay with us long after the final credits roll.
It's difficult to put into words just how much a video game studio can mean to someone. To some, BioWare was simply a company that made video games. To others, it was the studio behind some of the most beloved RPGs ever created. But to me, BioWare was something much more than that.
It was a place where I could lose myself for hours, where fictional characters felt like genuine friends, and where the choices I made carried an emotional weight that few other forms of entertainment have ever replicated.
From the vastness of the Mass Effect universe to the rich fantasy worlds of Dragon Age, BioWare didn't just create games. It created experiences, memories, and stories that became part of who I am.
And now, as I look at what has happened to a studio that played such an important role in my life, I felt something I never expected to feel about a video game developer: a genuine sense of loss.
Because when something has been part of your life for so long, watching it fade away feels a little like saying goodbye to an old friend.
I mean just looked at that menu
Dragon Age: Origins – The Game That Made Me a Writer
When talking about my three favourite BioWare games, in no particular order, there is only one place I can really start: Dragon Age: Origins.
I absolutely adored this game. The world, the characters, the lore, the choices, everything about it captured my imagination in a way that very few games ever had. Ferelden felt like an actual place, full of history, conflict, and people whose stories I genuinely cared about.
But what makes Dragon Age: Origins so special to me isn't just the countless hours I spent playing it. It's what happened when I couldn't play it.
I remember being on holiday, away from my console, and being genuinely sad that I couldn't continue my adventures in Ferelden. So, naturally, I did what any perfectly normal person would do. I pulled out my phone and started writing what was essentially some pretty crappy Dragon Age fan fiction.
It wasn't particularly good. In fact, looking back, it was probably terrible. But I didn't care. I just wanted to keep experiencing that feeling of being part of a fantasy world, even if I had to make up the adventures myself.
Little did I know that this random document, written on my phone because I missed playing a video game, would eventually become something much bigger.
Years later, I returned to that old piece of writing. I started changing things, developing the characters, expanding the lore, and drifting away from the world that had originally inspired it. What began as a rough piece of fan fiction gradually developed into a fantasy world entirely of my creation.
That world would eventually become The Thaneweave series of books.
It's strange to think about. A game I loved so much that I couldn't bear being away from it ended up inspiring something that would become such an important part of my life.
Would I have become a writer without Dragon Age: Origins? Maybe. I'd like to think so. But I genuinely don't know.
What I know is that somewhere along the way, BioWare made me want to stop simply exploring other people's worlds and start creating my own.
And for that, I'll always be grateful.
Mass Effect Trilogy – One of the Greatest Trilogies Ever Told
Now, I know I said I was going to talk about my three favourite BioWare games, but I'm going to cheat a little with this one and count the entire Mass Effect trilogy as a single game.
And honestly, I think that's completely justified.
Because to me, Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3 aren't three separate games. They're one enormous experience, one continuous story that takes you across an entire galaxy, introducing you to unforgettable characters, impossible decisions, and moments that stay with you long after you've put down the controller.
What BioWare accomplished with Mass Effect was nothing short of extraordinary.
The ability to carry your Commander Shepard, your relationships, and, most importantly, your choices from one game into the next was revolutionary. Decisions you made hours, sometimes even years earlier, could come back to haunt you or reward you in ways you never expected.
Characters could live or die. Friendships could blossom into something more. Entire storylines could change based on decisions you'd made in a previous game.
And because of that, it felt like your story.
Not just a story you were playing through, but one you were actively shaping. Your Commander Shepard wasn't necessarily the same as mine, and the galaxy you left behind could differ greatly from the one I saved or perhaps failed to save.
That's something incredibly special, and even all these years later, I struggle to think of another trilogy that has replicated that same feeling so successfully.
But beyond the choices and consequences, Mass Effect was simply phenomenal storytelling.
The world-building, the incredible cast of companions, the relationships you developed with your crew, the looming threat of the Reapers, and the sheer scale of what was at stake. Everything came together to create something truly unforgettable.
These weren't just characters who accompanied you on missions. They became friends. You cared about them. You worried about them. And when the game forced you to make tough decisions, those choices genuinely hurt.
Was the trilogy perfect? Of course not. There are things you can criticise, and I know the ending of Mass Effect 3 remains a controversial subject. But none of that takes away from what BioWare achieved.
In my eyes, Mass Effect isn't just one of the greatest trilogies in gaming history. It's one of the greatest trilogies ever told, regardless of the medium.
Games, films, books, television. I genuinely believe Mass Effect deserves to stand alongside the very best of them.
Because for me, it wasn't simply about saving the galaxy.
It was about the people I saved it with.
And I don't think I'll ever experience anything quite like it again.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – The Greatest RPG of All Time
And finally, we come to not only my favourite BioWare game, but my favourite game of all time. A game I still return to at least once every six months, and one that I genuinely believe is the greatest RPG ever made.
But before I talk about the masterpiece that is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, I need to take you back to the year 2000.
I was on a caravan holiday with my family, and my mum had bought my dad a VHS copy of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace for Father's Day.
One evening during that trip, we sat down and watched it.
And from that moment on, everything changed.
I fell completely and utterly in love with Star Wars.
The Jedi, the lightsabre’s, the Force, the incredible worlds, the music, the mythology. Everything about that galaxy far, far away captured my imagination like nothing else ever had. From that day forward, Star Wars became my one true love, and that love has never really faded.
So, imagine how I felt when I discovered BioWare was making a Star Wars RPG where I could create my very own Jedi, explore the fabled Old Republic, and carve out my adventure in the galaxy I adored.
I was hooked before I'd even played a single minute.
And oh boy, did it deliver.
Knights of the Old Republic is, in my eyes, a perfect game.
From its incredible story and varied cast of companions to its exploration, moral choices, and unforgettable locations, everything about it just works.
And then, of course, there's that twist.
If you've played the game, you know exactly what I'm talking about. If you haven't, I'm certainly not going to spoil it here, because I genuinely believe it's one of the greatest plot twists ever written. Not just in gaming, but in storytelling.
That kind of revelation totally alters your view of all that came before, and despite knowing what follows through many playthroughs, I continue to admire how brilliantly they carried it out.
But what makes Knights of the Old Republic truly special isn't simply its story or its twist. It's how perfectly it captures the feeling of Star Wars.
And that's quite an achievement when you think about it.
This was a game set thousands of years before the films, in an era that looked and felt different from the Star Wars I had originally fallen in love with. There were different ships, different conflicts, different characters, and an entirely different galactic landscape.
There wasn't even John Williams providing the soundtrack beyond the familiar Star Wars themes at the beginning and end. Although I should point out that Jeremy Soule's original score is absolutely glorious and more than capable of standing on its own.
Yet somehow, despite all those differences, Knights of the Old Republic captured the very soul of Star Wars.
The eternal struggle between light and dark.
It understood that Star Wars was never simply about lightsabre’s, spaceships, or epic battles. Those things are wonderful, of course, but they're only part of what makes that universe so special.
At its heart, Star Wars is about mythology, adventure, hope, and the battle between good and evil, both across the galaxy and within us.
And Knights of the Old Republic understood that better than almost anything else.
For me, it isn't just one of the definitive Star Wars experiences. It might be the definitive Star Wars experience.
That's not something I say lightly, especially as someone who has loved this universe since that evening in a caravan back in 2000.
Over two decades later, I still return to the Ebon Hawk, gathering my companions, and set off across the galaxy all over again. I know the story; I know the characters, and I know what's waiting for me.
But none of that matters.
Because every time I start a new game, I feel a little of that same excitement I felt when I first discovered that I could become a Jedi in my favourite fictional universe.
And I suspect that even when I'm old and grey, I'll still be returning to Knights of the Old Republic every six months.
Some games are simply timeless.
And for me, Knights of the Old Republic is the greatest of them all.
Thank You, BioWare
And so, here we are.
On the 21st of October 2026, Electronic Arts announced that BioWare, one of the most influential RPG developers in gaming history, would be closing its doors after more than three decades.
And honestly, even writing that feels surreal.
I suppose the writing had been on the wall for some time. BioWare hadn't exactly enjoyed the easiest of years. Mass Effect: Andromeda failed to live up to the extraordinary legacy of the original trilogy, Anthem was a disappointing attempt to break into the live-service market, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet EA's expectations.
I won't pretend that every game BioWare released was a masterpiece. It wasn't. The studio made mistakes, and there were certainly times when I questioned the direction it was heading.
But I always hoped it would find its way back.
There was always that little part of me that believed the next Mass Effect might be the one to recapture the magic. That somehow, against the odds, BioWare would remind the world why it had once been considered one of the greatest developers in the industry.
Now we'll never get to find out.
EA has made its decision, and from a business perspective, I'm sure there are spreadsheets, financial projections, and corporate strategies that explain why closing BioWare makes sense to the people making those decisions.
But that's the thing about video games.
Their value cannot always be measured on a spreadsheet.
How do you put a financial value on the friendships people formed through Mass Effect? On the countless hours spent exploring Ferelden? On the excitement of becoming a Jedi for the very first time?
How do you measure the impact a fictional world can have on someone's real life?
Because that's exactly what BioWare did for me.
Dragon Age: Origins inspired me to start writing a terrible little story on my phone while I was on holiday. A story that, years later, would grow into the Thaneweave series of books.
Mass Effect showed me just how powerful storytelling could be when the audience wasn't simply watching events unfold but actively shaping them.
And Knights of the Old Republic gave a Star Wars-obsessed kid the opportunity to live out the fantasy he'd dreamed about ever since watching The Phantom Menace on a caravan holiday with his family.
These weren't just games I played and eventually forgot about.
They helped shape my imagination, my creativity, and, in some ways, the person I became.
And I know I'm far from alone in that.
There will be countless people around the world who have their own BioWare stories. People who found comfort in its worlds during difficult times, who connected with its characters, who were inspired to become writers, artists, developers, or simply fell in love with storytelling because of something the studio created.
That's a legacy worth celebrating.
And while I'm deeply saddened by the closure, I also want to acknowledge the people who made all of this possible.
The writers, artists, programmers, composers, designers, voice actors, and everyone else who poured their creativity into these incredible worlds. Especially those now facing an uncertain future through no fault of their own.
You created something that mattered.
Not just commercially successful products or critically acclaimed video games, but experiences that genuinely changed people's lives.
And I hope you know that.
I also hope the wider games industry remembers what made BioWare so special. It wasn't chasing trends or trying to build the next endlessly monetised live-service experience.
It was the belief that great characters, meaningful choices, and brilliantly realised worlds were enough to create something extraordinary.
Because they were.
And they still are.
I don't know what the future holds for Dragon Age or Mass Effect. Perhaps one day another studio will pick up those franchises and create something wonderful. I certainly hope so.
But there will never be another BioWare quite like the one I grew up with.
The studio may be closing, but the worlds it created aren't going anywhere. Ferelden will still be there whenever I want to return. The Normandy will still be waiting to take me across the galaxy. And somewhere on Taris, a familiar adventure will always be ready to begin again.
And every six months, you can be absolutely certain I'll still be firing up Knights of the Old Republic.
So, to everyone who ever worked at BioWare, from its earliest days to its final moments, I want to say something very simple.
Thank you.
Thank you for the adventures, the characters, the memories, and the inspiration.
Thank you for showing me that video games could be so much more than entertainment.
And, on a deeply personal level, thank you for helping inspire a young lad to start writing a story on his phone, completely unaware that one day it would become a series of books.
I genuinely don't know whether I'd be an author today without you.
And that's perhaps the greatest compliment I could ever give a video game studio.
The stories may have ended, but their impact never will.
Thank you, BioWare. For everything.
I’m commander Shepard and BioWare was my favourite studio on the Citadel.
