Dragon Age: Origins/Mass Effect Interview

Gaming Bits caught up with BioWare’s Shane Hawco and Clove Roy at Canada’s recent Game Developers Conference, and proceeded to quiz the pair about their development history, their contributions to Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect, what they’ll be working on next, and more. A little something to start you off:

What did you learn from making Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins?

Shane: Tons! And it never stops! We are still learning from what we have done and are really focused on putting those lessons to good use! 😉

Clove: Jeebus. where would I start. let’s just say that the development cycle is iterative and the things you learn about is no different. I’ve learned that everything moves so fast in this industry that you have to be open and somewhat of a sponge to take it all in.

Were you surprised by the insane hype that these titles have received?

Shane: Yes and no. Dragon Age is bringing back the classic RPG BioWare gaming to the core fans and it’s great to see how they are loving the game. But it’s also great to see new people to BioWare games enjoying the story and the depth of lore that has been put into the Dragon Age and Mass Effect worlds. There are a lot of talented and passionate people here at BioWare and it is great to see the fans react so positively to the games after so much heart and effort are poured into them!

Clove: Yeah I was, but when you’re this close to the tree you have to take a step back and see how your contributions fit the bigger picture. Once I took a minute to look at the bigger picture, I felt a deep sense of pride that we would be able to exceed expectations. The team deserved all the ‘˜hype’ Dragon Age received, all the quality work and time they put in pushed us into the 90+ Metacritic.