Actress Jennifer Hale, who voiced the female version of Shepard in the Mass Effect trilogy, and former BioWare producer Mark Darrah believe that Electronic Arts never understood the true nature of the studio. In their opinion, the publisher initially had no clear idea of what to do with the developer of iconic role-playing games.
Jennifer Hale, known for her roles in Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, worked with BioWare both before the studio's acquisition by Electronic Arts and after the deal. During an Instagram* live stream, the actress admitted that it was difficult for her to accept the news of the company's closure.
It’s very hard to think about BioWare closing down. But the studio ended up in the hands of owners who, perhaps, did not fully understand what BioWare actually is.
At the same time, the actress expressed hope that EA might eventually decide to sell off the intellectual property it owns in order to increase profits. In that case, Hale believes, other companies would have the opportunity to acquire these franchises and continue their development.
A similar opinion is shared by Mark Darrah, who participated in the development of Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, and all the main games in the Dragon Age series. In an interview with The Examined Game YouTube channel, he stated that the acquisition of BioWare might have been more of a byproduct of another deal for EA.
According to Darrah, in 2007 Electronic Arts acquired the holding company VG Holding, which owned BioWare and Pandemic Studios. However, the publisher's main interest, as the former producer believes, was Pandemic, the developers of Star Wars: Battlefront, as well as the opportunity to get a team to create an online multiplayer Star Wars game.
EA does not understand BioWare. I would even say that this acquisition was accidental. EA bought VG Holding — along with BioWare and Pandemic — primarily for Pandemic and Knights of the Old Republic. The publisher wanted to get an MMO and the Battlefront developers. As a result, it ended up with BioWare Edmonton — the very studio that made classic role-playing games. EA never understood what exactly it wanted from BioWare.
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