Mass Effect Lead forms new studio under NetEase

Chinese publisher NetEase is opening a new studio with the lead writer behind… Mass effect Chain on top.

Worlds Untold will be based in Vancouver, and will be run by CEO Mac Walters, known for his nearly 20 years of work at BioWare. Walters was a writer for the martial arts RPG Jade Empirethen senior writer on the first entry in the sci-fi RPG series, Mass effectand was eventually promoted to chief writer Mass effect 2 And 3. And then it was brought on as Creative Director Ali Mass Effect: Andromedaworked on the early narrative direction in National anthemand directed the project Mass Effect: Legendary Edition remaster, before ending his tenure at the studio as production manager Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. So it’s been at the forefront of much of BioWare’s narrative direction in the last two decades. How you feel about this will likely vary depending on your opinions on the state of the studio, but speaking personally, the narrative wasn’t my biggest issue with most of those games.

Worlds Untold’s first project is described as an action-adventure game with a focus on narrative, but it seems like whatever they’re working on may extend beyond video games, as Advertisement on the studio’s website The game is intended to span multiple games and cannot be contained by “even one medium,” he says. This could mean anything from comics, novels, or maybe even movies or TV shows, which is a lofty goal, but since everything is trying to be a franchise right now, it’s not surprising. the Dragon Age And The Mass Effect franchise has had its fair share of… Animated series, comics, and novels, some of which were written by Walters, so they’re definitely in his wheelhouse.

NetEase has been rounding up a lot of old talent for its studios, including capturing them Yakuza It is led by Toshihiro Nagoshi, which was recently formed Nagoshi Studioand acquisition No more heroes Developer Grasshopper manufacturing. The company has a fair amount of industry, although its relationship with Blizzard has become strained recently and led to… Disbanded a team that maintained its matches in China.