Which Ex-Bioware veterans are behind the game studio Archetype Entertainment?
Archetype Entertainment is a video game development studio established in 2019 in Texas, and is a division of game publisher Wizards of The Coast.
The studio’s first title is called Exodus, a sci-fi adventure game with time-dilation and travelers across the universe.
It was announced in the 2023 Game Awards by none other than Mathew McConaughey, who also plays a character in this title.
If you didn’t know, he starred in the movie Interstellar which is all about time dilation, so I find it quite awesome that he gets to be a part of a video game with the same concept.
Apart from space and time concepts, I want to focus on the talented creators of Exodus who are former Bioware employees.
The same people that created some of the most legendary titles in video game history, like Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age.
Who are the former Bioware members?
James Ohlen, Archetype’s co-founder and Executive Creative Director, has worked at Bioware for 22 years as the lead designer for Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 and Neverwinter Nights. Due to the success of the first Baldur’s Gate, he became the Senior Creative Director of the studio. He is also behind the design of Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age: Origins.
Another talent from Bioware now working at Archetype is Drew Karpyshyn, a lead writer of Mass Effect. He is a scriptwriter, novelist, and video game scenario writer who worked at Bioware for a total of 15 years with a break in between. He wrote for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate 2 and Mass Effect 1 and 2 and according to Wikipedia and a tweet from 2017 he also worked on Anthem.
The writing in the Mass Effect series, especially in the first game, is outstanding.
The storytelling, the world-building and the characters of Mass Effect were so masterfully crafted that it’s one of the few games, if not the only one, that got me directly immersed in its universe.
Drew Karspyshyn has written three Mass Effect books that expand the existing narrative and also books that take place in the Star Wars universe.
Another former employee of Bioware is Chad Robertson who is now at Archetype as a co-founder and Executive Producer.
Chad Robertson has worked as a Studio Director at Bioware for games like Star Wars: The Old Republic and Anthem.
He has also worked as the technical director for Anthem, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and more.
From Exodus website:
BECOME THE TRAVELER
Having fled a dying Earth, humanity has found a new home in a hostile galaxy. Here, we are the underdogs, fighting our final battle for survival. You are the Traveler, humanity’s last hope.
It’s safe to say that Exodus is in safe creative hands. It’s a project that seems ambitious and has every right to be.
There is no known release date yet but for now, I will consume as much lore, trailers, and behind-the-scenes material as I can from their YouTube channel.
Their website is already updated with a lot of lore and you can subscribe to their newsletter to receive their updates first.
