New studio headed by ex-Bioware vets working on sci-fi RPG

Dungeons & Dragons creators and video-game publisher Wizards of the Coast have announced the first project of their new studio that opened last year, with a number of high-profile names previously from Bioware set to lead the studio and the new project.

The new title will be a sci-fi story-driven RPG and is set to be headed by James Ohlen, who joined Wizards of the Coast in June last year. The studio is now officially known as Archetype Entertainment. “We believe there will always be a place for story-driven role-playing games that put the player at the center of an epic personal narrative with impactful choices,” reads the mission statement. “We are building games that represent the diversity of our audience.”

The only detail known about the new game is that it will be a “multi-platform roleplaying game set in a new science fiction universe”.

Ohlen has previously acted as creative director for games at Bioware and worked on a number of games in its excellent backlog, including Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age: Origins. He will act as the studio head, while Chad Robertson, who was at Bioware as head of live services for the developer’s last game, Anthem, will be the vice president and general manager.

Considering the pedigree behind the head, who has a wealth of experience when it comes to action RPGs and even with the sci-fi through his work on Mass Effect, the studio is in good hands to make a fantastic game. As long as they can get the resources to create his desired game world (something Bioware has a great track record for), Ohlen and Robertson’s project would be one to keep a keen eye on.