Former Mass Effect lead writer Mac Walters is done with Commander Shepard and is charting a new course with Worlds Untold, his studio’s debut project. He wants to avoid making a sprawling RPG like his games at BioWare. Instead, Worlds Untold takes a sharp turn towards the action-adventure territory, aiming for the heart-pounding cinematic storytelling of titles like The Last of Us and Uncharted.
According to the interview, this isn’t just a genre shift; it’s a philosophical one. Walters is leaving behind the intricate branching narratives and stat-driven gameplay of RPGs for a more tightly focused, authored experience. Think less about crafting your own galactic legend and more about immersing yourself in a meticulously crafted world unfolding before your eyes. It sounds like it will be linear, but that’s not bad.
Worlds Untold promises a sci-fi – or “speculative fiction,” as Marc Walters puts it – setting with mystery and exploration. The team won’t be using procedural generation as heavily as you’d see in Starfield or No Man’s Sky. Instead, they want to make the environments themselves and lead the player through visual storytelling too.
This is a big shift from what we’re used to for a Sci-Fi game, as many head straight into RPG territory. However, Marc has been assembling a diverse team to bring this vision to life. He is actively seeking individuals with fresh perspectives, from hiring Metal Gear alum Sotaro Tojima to venturing outside the traditional game development circle. It’s not what you’d expect from someone who worked so closely with BioWare, a team known for its RPGs.
BioWare is known for Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and even the original Baldur’s Gate games. Someone who worked within the studio as it was being established as a top RPG developer not wanting to do RPGs is pretty strange to hear. However, writers like to tell stories, and RPGs are not the only way to do that. Mass Effect’s story blew me away, and we may see an even better one from Worlds Untold.
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