I don´t know why. But for some reason there´s more hate in the video game industry than ever before. For example, people hate and rant about Bioware´s new IP “Shadow Realms“. I mean, sure.

I can understand that “some” people didn’t like the live action video (which was released this summer). But the Gamescom gameplay trailer wasn’t half that bad in my opinion.

“The New BioWare 4v1 Story-Driven Online Action RPG”.

So yeah, people ain´t exactly open-minded about Shadow Realms. and it doesn’t seem to matter that James Ohlen (a Bioware veteran that has worked on Baldur´s Gate, Dragon Age and Star Wars: KOTOR) works on the game either.

Which is really sad imo. Because Shadow Realms might just become a really good online action/RPG game. So i really think that people should take it chill until they have seen some more actual gameplay footage from the game (or better yet, tried the beta of Shadow realms).

Speaking of which, you can actually sign-up for the Shadow Realms beta, if you feel like it that is.

“Hi, I’m James Ohlen, a veteran of BioWare and lead designer of games such as Baldur’s Gate, Star Wars™: Knights of the Old Republic™, Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ and Dragon Age: Origins. I want to introduce you to the latest game from BioWare, Shadow Realms.

Shadow Realms has its genesis in old school Dungeons & Dragons. When I first started designing BioWare RPGs back in the 90s, what drove me creatively was the desire to give players the experience I had while playing pen and paper games as a youth. The great storytelling, the feeling that anything could happen – these were experiences that you couldn’t find in any other game. And the great thing was that these adventures never had an end. A good Dungeon Master could keep a story going for months or even years.

BioWare RPGs have successfully replicated many of the things that made classic tabletop games fun: powerful storytelling, being able to create your own character, leveling-up that hero to achieve the heights of fantasy power, and tactical combat against a fantastic array of monsters. But the stories always come to an end and AI systems can’t replace the creativity of a human Dungeon Master.

Shadow Realms aims to change that.

It is a game that finally fulfills that fantasy of a never-ending RPG where the players meet up regularly to keep their epic adventures going for as long as they want. All the enemies, traps and challenges are squarely in the hands of another player, who controls them just like a Dungeon Master. The monsters and villains are smart and unpredictable, making every battle a test of strategy and power. Best of all, everyone gets to enjoy a story that plays out like their favorite TV series, but where they decide the fates of its world and characters.

Shadow Realms isn’t just hearkening back to those early BioWare PC games—it’s finally bringing the magic of tabletop RPGs to the digital realm.

James Ohlen

BioWare VP, Studio Creative Director”