Baldur's Gate Designer Leaves Bioware To Form D&D Publishing Company

James Ohlen was one of the architects of the 1990s' Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II video games, along with other classic CRPGs. He has been working for BioWare for over 22 years, but now he's leaving to publish D&D adventures with his new company, Arcanum Worlds and their first hardcover sourcebook, the Ancient Greek themed Odyssey of the Dragonlords.


PlayersGuidePreview.png

He's not alone, either. He's joined by Jesse Sky (Star Wars: The Old Republic). Their website announced their first project, "... a hardcover sourcebook for the fifth edition of the world's greatest roleplaying game. This epic adventure is set in a fantasy world inspired by Ancient Greek mythology."

Ohlen announced this new venture in a series of tweets.

"After 22 years I have retired from BioWare. I've loved my time with Anthem, Star Wars, Dragon Age and Dungeons and Dragons. But I need to take a break from the industry and work on something a little smaller and more personal.. The most fun I've ever had at BioWare was as the lead designer on Baldur's Gate 1+2 and NWN. I've been a D&D fanatic since I was 10 years old and I want to be a part of it again. Please visit http://www.arcanumworlds.com to see what I'm talking about.

The first book I'm working on is called Odyssey of the Dragonlords. I'm working on it with another former Creative Director from BioWare - Jesse Sky. Plus a mystery writer that I've worked with before."


Game Informer says that BioWare's founders, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, originally heard of Ohlen when he was running a comic book store and running two legendary D&D campaigns so popular that they had waiting lists.

Ohlen's credits include Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age: Origins, Baldur's Gate I & II, Knights of the Old Republic, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Jesse Sky worked on Star Wars: The Old Republic, along with threeexpansions.

And who's this mystery writer? They say "We're excited to be working with one of our good friends, a very talented author who lives here in Austin, TX. Stay tuned - we will be announcing his name at a later date!"
[FONT=&quot]Save[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Save[/FONT]
 
Last edited by a moderator:

log in or register to remove this ad

VengerSatanis

High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing
Wait, he's leaving the video game industry... for the RPG industry? That seems like a backwards move, but I'm hopefull this signals a surge in awareness and popularity for paper & pencil tabletop gaming. And not just D&D, but niche RPGs from smaller companies.

VS
 

Wait, he's leaving the video game industry... for the RPG industry? That seems like a backwards move, but I'm hopefull this signals a surge in awareness and popularity for paper & pencil tabletop gaming. And not just D&D, but niche RPGs from smaller companies.

VS

It reads a bit like he just wants to relax and enjoy some writing for a while, spend some time not dealing with corporate politics or the hellish work/life balance at a major games developer.

I'm always up for Ancient Greek theme, will have to try and keep an eye out for this.
 

Dausuul

Legend
Man... hate to see talent like that leave Bioware. There aren't a lot of game studios that can write a story worth beans, or care to even try. Bioware is one of the best.

But hey, at least he's coming to D&D! Will definitely be checking this out.
 

Ok... let us look at it from a different angle:

D&D got one of the major players in making RPGs popular again. I can´t tell how many players i got for DnD 3rd edition that started with baldur´s gate.

That is a big win for the RPG industry and especially for DnD.
 

I can remember way back when a bunch of gaming luminaries left for the videogame field, saying that it was the future of gaming. It feels strange but exciting to see it work in reverse.

There was something Satine Phoenix said recently, along the lines of “We’re used to using videogames for escapism, but we don’t want to be alone anymore.” D&D gives us that escapism, while still connecting us to other people.
 

Jer

Legend
Supporter
It reads a bit like he just wants to relax and enjoy some writing for a while, spend some time not dealing with corporate politics or the hellish work/life balance at a major games developer.

Right - he's retiring after 22 years. This is a "I've made a lot of money and don't need to work as hard anymore - what are the things I've been putting off that I can enjoy now in my early retirement days" sort of job that you get from folks at successful tech companies.

I'm always up for Ancient Greek theme, will have to try and keep an eye out for this.

Me too. Even if I can't get my players to come along with me for the ride, I always enjoy the Greek myth theme.
 


Istbor

Dances with Gnolls
Wait, he's leaving the video game industry... for the RPG industry? That seems like a backwards move, but I'm hopefull this signals a surge in awareness and popularity for paper & pencil tabletop gaming. And not just D&D, but niche RPGs from smaller companies.

VS

The video game industry, unless you are management or higher, is a younger person's game, generally. Long hours which only get longer during sprints or crunch time. Doesn't always leave a lot of time to relax or hang out with friends and family.

Depends on the company of course, some are more churn and burn than others.

So to me, it sounds like a move to something he will enjoy, where he can call more shots, do what he wants to do, and have a better balance with his life outside of work. Probably a good call honestly.
 


Remove ads

Latest threads

Remove ads

AD6_gamerati_skyscraper

Remove ads

Recent & Upcoming Releases

Top