Drew Karpyshyn Interview, Part Two (Mass Effect Series)

In case you liked the original audio interview with former BioWare lead writer Drew Karpyshyn, you’ll want to listen to the second part of it that’s been published by Video Game Sophistry. The interview starts at 21:03 and focuses mostly on the Mass Effect series, from what the series means personally to Drew, to cut content, to the much debated “Dark Energy” ending.

Given the Pure Sophistry folks offered transcripts of some questions and answers, I figure I could quote one of them to set the tone (and maybe generate some debate):

Set the record straight on the Dark Energy Ending idea first suggested in Mass Effect 2?

That was something, that wasn’t super flushed out, just sort of an idea. We had considered that maybe, Dark Energy was something that only organics could access because of various techno-science magic reasons we hadn’t decided on yet. Maybe using this Dark Energy was having a ripple affect in the space time continuum.

Maybe the Reapers kept wiping out organic life because, organics keep evolving to the state where they would use biotics and dark energy and that causing an entropic effect that will hasten the end of the universe. Being immortal beings, that’s something they wouldn’t want to see!

Then we thought, let’s take it to the next level! Maybe there’s an inevitable descent into the opposite of the Big Bang (the Big Crunch) and the Reapers realize that the only way they can stop it is by using biotics, but since they can’t use biotics they have to keep rebuilding society- as they try and find the perfect group to use biotics for this purpose..The Asari were close but they weren’t quite right, the Prothens were close as well.

Again it’s very vague and not flushed it, it was something we considered but we ended up going in a different direction.

I find it funny that fans end up hearing a couple things they like about it and in there minds they add in all the details they specifically want. Vaporware is always perfect, anytime someone talks about the new greatest game..it’s perfect until it comes out.and I think that’s because people are hopeful.