David Gaider, who once led the writing team at BioWare and is known for creating Dragon Age, recently opened up about the internal dynamics at the company. He mentioned that the teams behind BioWare’s major franchises weren’t exactly on friendly terms.
Gaider shared his thoughts on BlueSky, explaining that tensions became evident when employees from the Dragon Age and Mass Effect teams were brought together to tackle the challenges faced by Anthem. According to him, BioWare essentially operated as two separate groups within one company, each with its distinct methods and culture. “It could have been two entirely different studios for all anyone cared,” he noted, highlighting the lack of camaraderie.
The management recognized these issues and tried to resolve them over the years by frequently shifting staff between the two groups. However, this solution didn’t quite hit the mark. Gaider recalls an instance when he joined the Anthem team — previously referred to by its codename, Dylan — only to find that his presence was unwelcome.
He further elaborated on the miscommunication and misunderstanding that plagued the collaboration. Initially, Anthem was envisioned with a gritty, hard science fiction vibe reminiscent of “Aliens.” Gaider, however, was tasked with shifting it towards a more fantastical science fiction atmosphere, similar to “Star Wars.” Unfortunately, not everyone was clued in on this adjustment, leading to misconceptions that the changes were Gaider’s personal agenda.
Feedback from the team often criticized his contributions as being overly reminiscent of Dragon Age, implying that anything resembling Dragon Age wasn’t suitable. Despite this, he had to continuously adapt his work based on all the feedback received, which led to endless revisions.
Anthem eventually hit the market in 2019, following a troubled development process, but was discontinued in 2021.
