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David Gaider

Reporting and statements that mention David Gaider.

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Gamespot

BioWare Lost The Knowledge Needed To Remaster Dragon Age, Former Producer Says

Former BioWare producer Mark Darrah stated that a remaster of the Dragon Age trilogy is unlikely because the studio has lost the necessary institutional knowledge to work with the original games' engines. Unlike the Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, which benefited from the common Unreal Engine 3, the Dragon Age games utilized proprietary engines for which few, if any, developers at BioWare remain knowledgeable. This comes amidst reports of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's poor commercial performance and potential future sale of BioWare by Electronic Arts.

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PC GamesN

Mark Darrah thinks that Dragon Age is dead. If it ever were to continue, it needs to be reset

Former BioWare developer Mark Darrah believes the Dragon Age franchise is likely finished due to Electronic Arts' mismanagement and lack of clear direction. Despite the commercial failure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the article argues that a reset or even letting the franchise go might be beneficial, drawing parallels to the success of Baldur's Gate 3 in proving the viability of long, deep RPGs.

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PC Gamer

EA is 'a hedge fund with a videogame hobby,' former Dragon Age boss says, and that's why he reckons the…

Former BioWare executive producer Mark Darrah believes Electronic Arts' (EA) complicated relationship with shipping games makes a new Dragon Age title unlikely. He described EA as a "hedge fund with a videogame hobby" and noted that even if another studio pitched a new game, internal politics at EA would likely prevent it. Former lead writer David Gaider added that EA executives may not understand the franchise's appeal, deeming it non-essential.

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Tech Radar

Ex-BioWare lead writer would take the series to a 'dark and dangerous' place given the chance, while also going 'back to the basics of what made Dragon Age appeal to so many people in the first place'

Former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider believes the series is unlikely to have a future under Electronic Arts and BioWare. However, he expressed interest in returning to the series' roots to create a dark and dangerous new installment that appeals to the core fanbase.

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Gamespot

Former BioWare Writer Says EA Always Favored Mass Effect Over Dragon Age

Former BioWare lead writer David Gaider believes Electronic Arts consistently favored the Mass Effect series over Dragon Age, contributing to Dragon Age: The Veilguard's potential cancellation. Gaider suggested that EA perceived Mass Effect as a more marketable 'modern RPG' while viewing Dragon Age as an 'old-fashioned' IP whose successes were considered flukes.

Retro Gamer

Dragon Age is "unlikely" to continue at EA, says former lead David Gaider, but if you gave him the keys to the RPG he'd take it somewhere "dark" and "do things that will make people upset"

Former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider believes the series is unlikely to continue under Electronic Arts due to the company's historical dissatisfaction with its sales performance, despite generally positive reviews for recent titles like The Veilguard. Gaider expressed that if given the opportunity, he would steer the franchise in a darker, more provocative direction, focusing on the core appeal that resonated with fans.

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Eurogamer

Dragon Age creator reckons the series is dead following Veilguard flop, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't have another go at it if given the chance

Dragon Age creator David Gaider believes the series is likely dead following the poor commercial performance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Despite no longer being at BioWare, Gaider expressed interest in returning to the franchise to take it in a darker, more provocative direction if given the chance. He also commented on BioWare's current focus on Mass Effect 5 and the challenges facing game development under Electronic Arts.

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IGN

Former Dragon Age Lead Writer Says BioWare's Fantasy Series is Unlikely to Ever Return Under EA — Though He Knows What He'd Do With Dragon Age 5 if He Made It

Former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider believes the fantasy series is unlikely to return under Electronic Arts' ownership. However, he has ideas for a potential Dragon Age 5, should the opportunity arise.

PC Gamer

Dragon Age's former lead writer thinks the series is probably dead, but he'd be happy to take it off EA's hands and 'go somewhere dark and dangerous' with it

Former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider believes the series is likely dead under Electronic Arts, citing a consistent misunderstanding of the franchise's appeal and treatment compared to Mass Effect. Despite his past departure from the series, Gaider expressed interest in reviving Dragon Age if given the opportunity, provided it moves in a 'dark and dangerous' direction away from EA's current strategies.

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PC Gamer

David Gaider will never play Dragon Age: The Veilguard because he'd be 'wincing' the whole time: 'EA really did a number on them in terms of setting them up to fail'

Former BioWare lead writer David Gaider expressed that he would never play Dragon Age: The Veilguard, feeling that publisher Electronic Arts set the studio up for failure. Gaider, who considers the Dragon Age series his 'baby,' cited behind-the-scenes issues and EA's business practices as reasons for the game's struggles. He also touched upon his own studio's challenges with its game Stray Gods launching near Baldur's Gate 3.

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Blues News

David Gaider's Heist Game Pitch

David Gaider, creator of the Dragon Age series, discusses a new heist game he is currently pitching to publishers. He describes this project as a critical "make or break" moment for his career in game development.

Rock Paper Shotgun

Dragon Age writer David Gaider's next game is a light-hearted heist RPG, if he can get the funding for it

Dragon Age writer David Gaider and his studio Summerfall Studios are working on a light-hearted heist RPG, but are struggling to secure funding due to the current contraction in the games industry. Gaider expressed concerns about the difficulty of getting new projects funded, as publishers are hesitant to invest in original intellectual property. Despite the challenges, Gaider remains optimistic about the game's reception but acknowledges the precarious state of smaller studios.

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PC Gamer

Dragon Age setting creator David Gaider is pitching a heist RPG that's 'make or break' for his studio

Dragon Age creator David Gaider is pitching a new heist RPG, but faces industry-wide funding challenges for new IPs. He discusses the difficulties smaller studios face in securing publisher investment in the current market. Gaider also reflects on his time at BioWare, criticizing the shift away from player-impacting choices in recent Dragon Age titles.

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PC Gamer

Dragon Age setting creator says AI push is a delusion of the executive class that's a 'virulent plague'…

Dragon Age setting creator David Gaider has described generative AI as a "virulent plague" on the games industry, arguing that its current push leads to inferior work, eliminates entry-level writing opportunities, and poses legal and moral issues. He believes executives are pushing for AI integration without proper regulation or consideration for training junior developers.

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Rock Paper Shotgun

Generative AI is a "virulent plague" and even using it to eliminate "drudgery" has downsides, reckons long-time Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider

Former Dragon Age lead writer David Gaider believes generative AI is a "virulent plague" and not ready for game development, even for mundane tasks. He argues that its use risks inhibiting the training of junior developers and raises significant legal concerns due to unregulated data sourcing. Gaider suggests avoiding the technology until it is properly regulated.

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Retro Gamer

Generative AI is a "plague," says Dragon Age vet David Gaider: "It's not ready for prime time. There's just a lot of executives who really, really want it to be"

Longtime Dragon Age narrative lead David Gaider describes generative AI as a "virulent plague" in the games industry, citing concerns about legal issues, ethical implications, and the potential to hinder junior developer training. He argues that the technology is not yet ready for widespread use and that executives are pushing for it without fully understanding its limitations or impact on creative workflows.

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PC Gamer

Planescape: Torment 2 was greenlit by Wizards of the Coast, 'they were really into what we were doing', but it refused to fund the sequel, and nobody else was interested

Beamdog and former BioWare writer David Gaider pitched a sequel to Planescape: Torment, titled Planescape: Unraveled, to Wizards of the Coast. While Wizards of the Coast was initially receptive to the concept, they declined to fund the project themselves, and no other investors were found. The sequel was ultimately shelved by the end of 2016.

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PC Gamer

Former Dragon Age writer says AI could make gamedev 'frustrating as hell': 'How are we going to train up the next generation of devs if we eliminate every entry-level task?'

Former BioWare writer David Gaider expressed concerns that generative AI could make game development "frustrating as hell" by eliminating entry-level tasks crucial for training new developers. He highlighted issues with AI inconsistency and the ethical implications of using artists' data without consent, a sentiment echoed by other developers like David Szymanski and Danny Koo.

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Retro Gamer

Why so many game developers don't want to use generative AI

Many game developers express strong reservations about using generative AI, citing ethical concerns, environmental impact, copyright issues, and job security risks. Despite some executives championing AI as a tool for efficiency, a significant portion of the industry views it as unproven, potentially harmful to creativity, and undesirable by players.

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Retro Gamer

Baldur's Gate 3 from the OG devs didn't happen despite years of trying because the money people thought "It's a single-player RPG, it's not going to do that big in numbers"

Former BioWare developer Trent Oster revealed that his team's attempt to secure funding for Baldur's Gate 3 years ago was rejected by investors who doubted the commercial viability of single-player RPGs. Oster's vision for the game was a smaller, $20 million project, in contrast to Larian Studios' eventual massive success. He notes that even after Baldur's Gate 3's triumph, the perception of what constitutes a successful RPG has shifted to require larger budgets and more extensive features.

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