The Next Bioware Game Is Not An RPG

One of the things that we've come to expect from BioWare is some epic fantasy adventure or sprawling sci-fi role-playing game that takes us across the expanse of the galaxy and beyond. Well, BioWare's next big title after Mass Effect: Andromeda won't be an RPG, as the company will be diverting their attention elsewhere.

According to Polygon, BioWare will release a new multiplayer, action-adventure game that is not an RPG before March, 2018. If I had to hazard a guess, most action games scheduled to launch on home consoles usually target the holiday season if they're a big AAA title.

The news came courtesy of a comment made by EA CEO Andrew Wilson, who explained to investors that BioWare would be focusing on working on a new game that offers new types of interactive experiences.

BioWare's general manager, Aaryn Flynn, made a short post over on the BioWare website, stating that the new game is a brand new IP for BioWare. They've been working on the game since they finished up on Mass Effect 3 back in 2012. It's only mentioned that the game will be combination of BioWare's efforts and work over the last 20 years.

Given that Wilson mentioned that the game would have an online component, is an action-adventure game, and is a new IP, we know for sure this is not related to the single-player Star Wars games that EA has various studios working on. Since it's a new IP we also know this is not a Mass Effect spin-off, nor will it have anything to do with the medieval-fantasy universe of Dragon Age.

So what does that leave us with? Absolutely nothing...well, not quite.

This could end up being a MOBA-style game built as an action-adventure game similar to Hi-Rez Studios' Paladins, Global Agenda or Epic's Paragon. However, I'm pretty sure if it was MOBA-focused that would have been something they would have mentioned upfront.

Flynn does mention that it's a game that players will enjoy with their friends, so that implies a cooperative or team element, which doesn't entirely rule out a MOBA.

Another clue is that Flynn mentions that there are new "stories", plural. So if this was a single-player adventure game like Uncharted or Tomb Raider he would have mentioned a "new story", singular. So we know this isn't a single-player game with a tacked on multiplayer component, but rather a game with multiple stories and characters... and again that seems to fit in line with the MOBA paradigm, similar to Heroes of the Storm or the way Blizzard developed the world-building for Overwatch.

So, we know for sure that this is an action-adventure game, a brand new IP so it's not based on any other licensed property, that it has some kind of cooperative element, will be a multiplayer game, will not be an RPG, and will allow people to come together in "exciting new ways". This rules out a free-to-play card game, an MMO (since it won't be a role-playing game), a racing title, a flight sim, or a fighting game.

Originally, I thought maybe a third-person arena game, but Wilson explicitly mentions "adventure," so there's some kind of traveling involved. I'm a bit stumped, but it could end up being a side-scrolling action-shooter, which could be really, really cool.

Flynn mentions they'll reveal more about the game in coming months, likely at this year's E3... or EA Play.