Summary
There are some amazing video game companies that have helped to create multiple massive franchises that have managed to last the test of time and remain notable to fans, prompting gamers to continually gain fresh excitement from seeing what the development team is working on next.
Related:Best Stories In BioWare Games
BioWare is one of the largest game companies in the world, having developed franchises likeDragon’s Age,Baldur’s Gate,andMass Effectto name but a few titlesthat have stood the test of time. However, there are a number of titles over the years that BioWare began but never managed to finish and release to the public. While it is a shame that gamers will never get to see fully realized versions of these products, the potential in them is incredible to dream about.
6Revolver / Jade Empire 2
One of the most notable games in the history of BioWare isJade Empire, and it remains an enormous surprise that this fantastic RPG, steeped in Chinese Mythology, has never managed a sequel since its release in 2005. However, there was one in development at one time, whichstruggled a great deal throughout development, partially due to a mid-way move toMass Effect’sUnreal Engine.
This shift prompted the team to change the setting, originally supposed to be set a few decades after the original, the idea was moved forward to a modern-day setting within theJade Empireuniverse. This slowly shifted again, becoming a project known asRevolverwhich was similar in style but had almost no connection left to the originalJade Empiregame. Eventually, the project was completely surrendered after a lengthy and costly development process.
5Shadow Realms
Originally meant to be released in 2015,Shadow Realmswas an original action RPG that BioWare eventually had to give up on developing. It was supposed to involve humans with magical powers that would go between Earth and a parallel world, Embra, where they would do battle against Shadow Legions in an attempt to save humankind.
Shadow Realmslooked set to be a potential new hit and even a franchise for BioWare, having a number of traditional RPG features such as different classes for characters, plenty of customization, and an episodic release style that would pit four players as a team working against a single player Shadowlord. Some of the ideas were pretty unique, but unfortunately, BioWare was overloaded trying to prepareDragon Age: InquisitionandMass Effect: Andromedaand canceledShadow Realms,thoughsome think it could still return eventually.
4Knights Of The Old Republic 3
Despite the first two entries in the franchise providing huge hits for BioWare, theStar WarsRPG franchise that they had developed hasn’t seen a third entry thus far after a planned threequel was canceled swiftly following the release of the second game. Apparently, according to a reference book about the history of LucasArts, the development was halted before it got very far due to the company going through a difficult time financially.
Related:Best Combat Systems In BioWare GamesMany ideas and concepts had already been drawn up for the threequel, with developers stating that a trilogy had always been the plan for the franchise. The story was supposedly going to follow a character called Naresha, and the plot would involve her tracking down the “really ancient Sith Lords who are far more terrifying than the Darths that show up” for an exciting conclusion to the franchise that never managed to come to fruition, andit may be too late nowto ever do it justice.
3Mass Effect Team Assault
While theMass Effectfranchise has always been one of BioWare’s top series in the video gaming world, there was one game that was supposed to take place inside of it which never managed to get released. Following the success ofMass Effect 2, the team began to develop an online competitive multiplayer game set in the universe of theMass Effectfranchise, calledMass Effect: Team Assaultwhich got as far asreleasing screenshots of the gameplay.
After four months of development, work was halted and a different direction was taken. Fortunately, much of what would have been available inTeam Assaultwas eventually released as part of the multiplayer mode inMass Effect 3, meaning that BioWare andMass Effectfans didn’t miss out on much due to the cancelation of this entry.
2Anthem Next / Anthem 2.0
Anthemwas always a property with a lot of potential for BioWare, which sadly never came to fruition. In 2021, the developer in charge of rebootingAnthemas part of a project dubbedAnthem Next, announced that the project was shutting down. There were a number of difficulties attached to the release of this project, including the hit of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the main reason BioWare gave up was different.
Over the years, BioWare has slowly turned away from attempting to make as many original projects, instead choosing to focus on their biggest moneymakers in franchise terms. They began to feel thatDragon AgeandMass Effectprovided them with safe bets for continued growth, so they pulled the plug onAnthem Nextin order to work on the big franchises more.Whether this was the right callremains up in the air today.
1Baldur’s Gate 3: The Black Hound
With a release having finally occurred, fans don’t have to look back and mourn the cancelation of the first attempt atBaldur’s Gate 3as much anymore.The Black Houndwas in development in 2002, it isn’t known exactly how long they spent on it, but by the time the enhanced edition of the originalBaldur’s Gatewas announced in 2012, the team behind the franchise said that they planned on makingBaldur’s Gate 3but not usingThe Black Houndideas.
The Black Houndwas going to be a dark figure that would represent guilt and the player’s evil choices, appearing at various times throughout the game. Not a lot is known about the story except that it would have involved players going after May Farrow, an evil cleric who killed a Black Hound. The game was also set to include a heavy focus on the Archenrider faction, and the Church of Lathander. Fortunately,a great version of this gamewas eventually released to huge success.
