Commander Shepard actors Jennifer Hale & Mark Meer mourn BioWare: 'It was in the hands of ownership that may not have understood what BioWare fully is''
You can say that again.
Veteran actors Jennifer Hale and Mark Meer, who voiced Commander Shepard in BioWare's Mass Effect, expressed their condolences for the gaming company's fate in an October 21 Instagram Live stream. Both actors lamented the impact of BioWare's closure and the current crisis it faces.
Hale, a prominent figure in the gaming industry, stressed the importance of preserving the joy and meaning people derived from BioWare's games, asserting that private equity could not take that away, at least not with current technology. However, she remained skeptical about Kickstarter's potential to save the franchise, citing the need for further investment in successful crowdfunding games like Pillars of Eternity and Wasteland 2.
Meer, a theater and improv veteran from Edmonton, highlighted the emotional toll of the closure on the city he dearly loved. While he conceded that Hale's optimism about the franchise's future was plausible, he doubted Kickstarter's ability to take on BioWare's massive scale of investment. He also pointed out the historical lack of success that EA has had with its Ultima series, suggesting that the company's poor stewardship could have led to the decline of this foundational RPG.
The duo's comments underscore the unique challenges faced by BioWare, which could only be resolved by a billionaire, another company on the scale of EA, or perhaps even the Canadian government. However, such solutions seem highly unlikely, leaving fans to hope for a "benevolent/eccentric super-rich guy" to step in and save the beloved RPG series.
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