David Gaider claims BioWare "quietly resented" writers
Former BioWare veteran David Gaider has criticised his former studio for its evolving approach to video game narrative, up until his departure from the studio in 2016, amidst the troubled development of multiplayer shooter Anthem.
In a string of posts on Twitter, Gaider said video game writing was «constantly undervalued» — even so at BioWare, which in Gaider's words «built its success on a reputation for good stories and characters».
"[It] slowly turned from a company that vocally valued its writers to one where we were… quietly resented, with a reliance on expensive narrative seen as the 'albatross' holding the company back," Gaider wrote.
«Maybe that sounds like a heavy charge, but it's what I distinctly felt up until I left in 2016,» he continued. «Suddenly all anyone in charge was asking was 'how do we have LESS writing?' A good story would simply happen, via magic wand, rather than be something that needed support and priority.»
Eurogamer has contacted BioWare for comment.
Gaider is best known for his work on the Dragon Age franchise, and played a key part in dreaming up its world. He worked on each entry in the series so far — as well as various spin-off novels and comic books — though did not contribute to the series' upcoming return in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.
Writing is one of those disciplines which is constantly undervalued. It's something that everyone thinks they can do («I can write a sentence! I know what story is!»), and frankly the difference between good and bad writing is lost on many, anyhow. So why pay much for it, right?
Gaider's final game for BioWare was Anthem, the studio's poorly-received play for the multiplayer shooter market. Gaider contributed to the game's early vision before he left the
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