Nicolas Bouvier – industry veteran and former art director for games across franchises like Halo and Assassin’s Creed – has taken to social media to say that he was also working as art director for the canceled Mass Effect project. In a series of posts, Bouvier spoke about working with a talented team and how disappointed he was when he learned about the project’s cancelation and BioWare’s closure.
“In light of last week’s news about BioWare’s closure, I felt it was time to share something I haven’t talked about publicly: from April until last week, I was the art director of the Mass Effect franchise. During this time, it was a privilege to work alongside such a talented team, with the shared ambition of exploring new creative territories while staying true to the legacy and spirit of the Mass Effect trilogy.”
He also called the fact that the work that had been produced during the development of the Mass Effect game would never make it in front of the public “truly heartbreaking”. Noting that the team was “good at this”, he also mourned the fact that the team’s achievements can’t be shown off to fans of the franchise.
“In nearly 30 years in this industry, I’ve rarely seen a group so tightly knit, so experienced, and so good at working together. And I feel extremely honored to have been part of it. As for what comes next, I’d be curious to peek into my own future. I simply don’t know. For now, I’ll take a bit of time before figuring out next steps. In the meantime, I wish everyone affected all the very best for what lies ahead.”
BioWare announced its closure and the cancelation of its in-development Mass Effect project last week. The company spoke about how its current focus is on supporting the team as the studio shuts down. Following this, sci-fi writer Derek Künsken confirmed that he was also working on the project alongside Catherynne Valente. In a social media post, he spoke about how his time with BioWare was among the highlights of his career.
“I can say that everyone I met at BioWare was a decent human being, an expert in their field, and was ambitiously imaginative about what a future experience of BioWare could be. Working closely with Parrish Ley and Mary DeMarie will be highlights of my writing career.”
“There are too many great people to mention right now. All fifty deserve to be lauded and to land safely in new jobs. I hope you support them. I also hope to say more in a few weeks. The emotional dust needs to settle. I need to find out what I can and cannot say. I need to look for a new job in video games – how does LinkedIn even work?? And I’m way behind in promoting my newest novel.”
The fate of the Mass Effect franchise is currently unknown. While former executive producer Mark Darrah believes that EA might be willing to sell the IP once it enters its revenue generation phase, the company is still reportedly continuing its work on the live-action TV adaptation based on the sci-fi franchise.
