What do you think?
Rate this book
BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development
From the BioWare's isometric role-playing roots to its intense space operas and living worlds, chart the legendary game studio's first 25 years in this massive retrospective.
BioWare - Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development puts you in the room during key moments in BioWare's history, with never-before-seen art and photos anchored by candid stories from developers past and present. See what it took to make games in those wild early days. Pore over details of secret, cancelled projects. Discover the genesis of beloved characters and games.
Presented and designed by Dark Horse Books, this tribute to BioWare's legacy is a must-have for any fan of the best stories you can play.
BioWare - Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development puts you in the room during key moments in BioWare's history, with never-before-seen art and photos anchored by candid stories from developers past and present. See what it took to make games in those wild early days. Pore over details of secret, cancelled projects. Discover the genesis of beloved characters and games.
Presented and designed by Dark Horse Books, this tribute to BioWare's legacy is a must-have for any fan of the best stories you can play.
328 pages, Hardcover
Published November 17, 2020
5 people are currently reading
150 people want to read
About the author
Ben Gelinas
4 books20 followersI am an editor and writer currently based in Edmonton, a sprawling provincial capital in the frigid wastes of the Canadian prairies.
For a handful of years, I worked as a crime reporter here. During my time at the Edmonton Journal, I covered hostage takings, stage collapses, infanticides, house explosions, and more homicides than most people have birthdays. In between, I dabbled in arts writing, reviewing concerts and interviewing some of the world’s most famous celebrities, including Peter Wunstorf, Bobcat Goldtwait and my mom.
Currently, I somehow get paid money to be a story editor on the Dragon Age team at BioWare, a triple-A video game studio founded by medical doctors.
For a handful of years, I worked as a crime reporter here. During my time at the Edmonton Journal, I covered hostage takings, stage collapses, infanticides, house explosions, and more homicides than most people have birthdays. In between, I dabbled in arts writing, reviewing concerts and interviewing some of the world’s most famous celebrities, including Peter Wunstorf, Bobcat Goldtwait and my mom.
Currently, I somehow get paid money to be a story editor on the Dragon Age team at BioWare, a triple-A video game studio founded by medical doctors.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 3, 2022
I will preface this review by admitting that I am huge fan of BioWare games, especially Mass Effect 1-3 and the Dragon Age series. I also enjoyed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, but I skipped or missed out on their earlier games. With that out of the way, my opinion of this book is that it is a nice, broad, chronological overview of BioWare's history and the games that they have developed. The earlier games have a more detailed focus while the later games (namely Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem) are given much less attention. A larger sin, in my opinion, is that because so little time and attention is given to the later games, it almost feels like the writer of the book and BioWare themselves are trying to rewrite history.
Anthem is glowingly talked about. Casey Hudson talks about it coming together in a demo that was shown in 2017 at E3 (I believe) while anyone who has followed this game knows that that demo was pretty much faked and there was no real direction for the game, even though it had been in development for years. Anthem had a very fraught development cycle and only really came together a short time before it was released in 2019. Even so, the game lacked content and was poorly reviewed. Initially a roadmap was promised that was to expand the game and "fix" problems - namely poor end game content, boring loot, and gameplay becoming a dull grind. Those plans have since been shelved. That is an interesting story, but it is also a story that requires the teller, in this case BioWare, to have introspection and the ability to admit mistakes. Reading the portion on Anthem does not shed any light on the game at all. It's no better than a short pamphlet with some very nice concept art.
It is much the same with an earlier section covering Mass Effect: Andromeda. Time is spent on talking about the design ideas of spaceships and new aliens, the decision to separate the story from the Milky Way galaxy and make it 600 years removed from the prior Mass Effect games, and the diverse squad-mates. But again the section totally overlooks the many MANY technical issues that plagued the game at release and the eventual abandonment of the game. There was supposed to be DLC that expanded and filled in the story, but the myriad issues the game faced and critical backlash made BioWare scrap those plans. Now they tout, in the same book, that a new Mass Effect is being made, but what about the threads left hanging from Andromeda? It is frustrating to see so much information left out.
So, where does that leave someone who wants to read about BioWare and their games? This is a good primer that has a lot of cute stories about the company and the people who made the games. It is not an in depth book about the development process of their more difficult to produce and less critically acclaimed games.
Anthem is glowingly talked about. Casey Hudson talks about it coming together in a demo that was shown in 2017 at E3 (I believe) while anyone who has followed this game knows that that demo was pretty much faked and there was no real direction for the game, even though it had been in development for years. Anthem had a very fraught development cycle and only really came together a short time before it was released in 2019. Even so, the game lacked content and was poorly reviewed. Initially a roadmap was promised that was to expand the game and "fix" problems - namely poor end game content, boring loot, and gameplay becoming a dull grind. Those plans have since been shelved. That is an interesting story, but it is also a story that requires the teller, in this case BioWare, to have introspection and the ability to admit mistakes. Reading the portion on Anthem does not shed any light on the game at all. It's no better than a short pamphlet with some very nice concept art.
It is much the same with an earlier section covering Mass Effect: Andromeda. Time is spent on talking about the design ideas of spaceships and new aliens, the decision to separate the story from the Milky Way galaxy and make it 600 years removed from the prior Mass Effect games, and the diverse squad-mates. But again the section totally overlooks the many MANY technical issues that plagued the game at release and the eventual abandonment of the game. There was supposed to be DLC that expanded and filled in the story, but the myriad issues the game faced and critical backlash made BioWare scrap those plans. Now they tout, in the same book, that a new Mass Effect is being made, but what about the threads left hanging from Andromeda? It is frustrating to see so much information left out.
So, where does that leave someone who wants to read about BioWare and their games? This is a good primer that has a lot of cute stories about the company and the people who made the games. It is not an in depth book about the development process of their more difficult to produce and less critically acclaimed games.
April 11, 2021
Structured chronologically, and featuring cool artwork and design, this book is a bit of a mixed-bag. The reader is sometimes granted access to insightful stories of the early days at BioWare, provided with in-depth details about the creation of the earliest games, and even granted a look at some abandoned projects.
However, the closer the reader gets to the present, the more cagey the book becomes. This devolves to the point as to feel deliberately deceptive when the author gets around to the details of the failures and mistakes of Mass Effect Andromeda, and the most recent, Anthem. Simply put, it is as if, in this books’s universe, nothing went wrong with either of these games. (For example, not even a mention is made of Andromeda’s infamous at-launch graphics issues.)
The distinct impression the book leaves behind then is that this was meant to exist as a pleasant coffee table book... one that could be on display in BioWare’s corporate office lobby. “Oh look, how nice.” Unfortunately as a result, this is more an exercise of corporate propaganda, rather than an in-depth and honest look at the history of successes and failures of BioWare.
However, the closer the reader gets to the present, the more cagey the book becomes. This devolves to the point as to feel deliberately deceptive when the author gets around to the details of the failures and mistakes of Mass Effect Andromeda, and the most recent, Anthem. Simply put, it is as if, in this books’s universe, nothing went wrong with either of these games. (For example, not even a mention is made of Andromeda’s infamous at-launch graphics issues.)
The distinct impression the book leaves behind then is that this was meant to exist as a pleasant coffee table book... one that could be on display in BioWare’s corporate office lobby. “Oh look, how nice.” Unfortunately as a result, this is more an exercise of corporate propaganda, rather than an in-depth and honest look at the history of successes and failures of BioWare.
February 13, 2023
A great look at the origins and continuing story of Bioware, one of my favourite game developers. I was particularly interested in the history and development of the Dragon Age and Mass Effect games (as those are the ones I've played and absolutely loved) but it was also interesting to read about games that I haven't played before (e.g. Baldur's Gate or KOTOR) and games that never even made it to release. Seeing how concepts evolved over time, what facets were removed or discarded, and the creative process in general was extremely valuable.
I also liked that Bioware didn't shy away from mentioning and acknowledging controversies surrounding certain games (e.g. the Mass Effect 3 ending being negatively received or the argument that Dragon Age 2 is small compared to Origins). More than just mentioning the issues fans had, the writer gives insightful context and reasoning behind why some of these problems arose but never made excuses or sidestepped the issue. Most importantly, the studio never blamed the fans (which so many writers and producers seem to do these days) and said that they would always strive to be better for the people who love the games.
It is a great read if you like Bioware games or are interested in video game design and development in general.
I also liked that Bioware didn't shy away from mentioning and acknowledging controversies surrounding certain games (e.g. the Mass Effect 3 ending being negatively received or the argument that Dragon Age 2 is small compared to Origins). More than just mentioning the issues fans had, the writer gives insightful context and reasoning behind why some of these problems arose but never made excuses or sidestepped the issue. Most importantly, the studio never blamed the fans (which so many writers and producers seem to do these days) and said that they would always strive to be better for the people who love the games.
It is a great read if you like Bioware games or are interested in video game design and development in general.
January 24, 2021
Damn this book is phenomenal!!!.
I went into just for the concept art, but it actually is a exhaustive look at the development and history of BioWare.
This is a must have book for Fan of BioWare, if you are looking for a book on how Video games a developed then this is your book. If you want a book on video game history this is your book.
If you just want a book with pretty pictures this is your book.
I went into just for the concept art, but it actually is a exhaustive look at the development and history of BioWare.
This is a must have book for Fan of BioWare, if you are looking for a book on how Video games a developed then this is your book. If you want a book on video game history this is your book.
If you just want a book with pretty pictures this is your book.
December 9, 2020
Todo lo que quería and then some.
June 9, 2021
A cool look into the company’s roots and making of their games. Lots of fun stories and tidbits for people who appreciate their video game style.
February 1, 2021
I bought this book to know a little bit more about Bioware and the process they went through, even though this book is from Bioware and they'd obviously filter out sensitive information related to how some decisions were made, and so on. Still, the prospect of additional, unpublished art and side notes was motivating enough, being a long-time fan of that company and several iconic games they've created.
The book does not really have a structure except chronology, it's "a scrapbook of sorts, a collection of art, anecdotes, secrets and experiences", as presented by Casey Hudson in his foreword. Perhaps it's enough, it would have been interesting to organize the articles and have a main thread, for the sake of clarity perhaps, but that was not the purpose of the book, and honestly, it's perfectly fine.
And there are lots of interesting anecdotes, pieces of art, drafts, bits of information of all sorts! It's a pleasure to read and contemplate, with the significant caveat that most of the text, be that narrative or quotes, are written in spoken language, and by people who don't talk very well. It's a lot of "I'm like: (quote), and they're like: (quote)", or "and the team was gonna do it", "they were kinda like: ...". So be prepared to substitute "to be like" with "said" or "replied", remove probably a few other "like" words in excess, and un-slang what's left for safety measure.
I'm not obsessed by grammar, punctuation and sentence balancing. But I believe that books should make a little effort to convey the written language properly, if not as a perfect and spotless way, at least in a neutral form. Not as spoken by teenagers when they want to sound cool but don't know yet exactly how.
Thankfully, not all articles are written like that, however it ruined somewhat the overal very enjoyable experience.
The book does not really have a structure except chronology, it's "a scrapbook of sorts, a collection of art, anecdotes, secrets and experiences", as presented by Casey Hudson in his foreword. Perhaps it's enough, it would have been interesting to organize the articles and have a main thread, for the sake of clarity perhaps, but that was not the purpose of the book, and honestly, it's perfectly fine.
And there are lots of interesting anecdotes, pieces of art, drafts, bits of information of all sorts! It's a pleasure to read and contemplate, with the significant caveat that most of the text, be that narrative or quotes, are written in spoken language, and by people who don't talk very well. It's a lot of "I'm like: (quote), and they're like: (quote)", or "and the team was gonna do it", "they were kinda like: ...". So be prepared to substitute "to be like" with "said" or "replied", remove probably a few other "like" words in excess, and un-slang what's left for safety measure.
I'm not obsessed by grammar, punctuation and sentence balancing. But I believe that books should make a little effort to convey the written language properly, if not as a perfect and spotless way, at least in a neutral form. Not as spoken by teenagers when they want to sound cool but don't know yet exactly how.
Thankfully, not all articles are written like that, however it ruined somewhat the overal very enjoyable experience.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews