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Another Iconic Figure Leaves BioWare, Joins Studio Owned by Wizards of the Coast

Drew Karpyshyn is Archetype Entertainment's new lead writer

Feb 16, 2020 07:25 GMT  ·  By
Unannounced sci-fi RPG artwork
   Unannounced sci-fi RPG artwork

Despite reassuring players that it plans to completely overhaul Anthem, BioWare becomes less and less competent as many of its original employees are now leaving the company. Yes, the exodus of BioWare iconic figures to other studios, new and old, continues.

After the departure of Mike Laidlaw (Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect, Jade Empire) from BioWare to Ubisoft two years ago, another BioWare veteran announced he is leaving the EA-owned studio: Drew Karpyshyn.

Perhaps his name doesn't say anything to many fans of BioWare's games, but his contribution as main writer for titles like Mass Effect (1 and 2) and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was invaluable.

“I’m proud to announce that I’m the lead writer for Archetype Entertainment!Founded by James Ohlen – the creative genius behind BioWare hits like Baldur’s Gate, KOTOR and Dragon Age – Archetype is a new video game studio under the Wizards of the Coast umbrella… and I haven’t been this excited to work on a project in a long, long time.”

Archetype Entertainment is a relatively new studio owned by Wizards of the Coast, which is now working on a sci-fi RPG based on an original setting. The studio's new project hasn't been announced yet, but considering that BioWare veterans with so many cult classics under their belts will be handling the development, we have no doubt it will be a masterpiece.

Apart from announcing his departure from BioWare, Drew Karpyshyn offers a little bit of insight on why he decided to leave the studio. Just as we thought, the old BioWare is no more and the new studio now owned by EA has become “more corporate.”

“When I started at BioWare, everything was fresh and exciting. It was a dream job – talented people working together to create epic games like Baldur’s Gate, KOTOR, Mass Effect and Dragon Age. But as we grew and became more successful, things changed. We became more corporate. We were less able to make what we loved, and the teams were pushed to create games based on market research rather than our creative instincts and passions.”