Category: Video Games

BioWare has built up several legendary series across its run as a game development studio, like Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age. The lesser-known martial arts RPG Jade Empire could have made the list too, though it sounds like its chances were spoiled thanks to a rough launch window and some bad advice from Microsoft.

Over on the My Perfect Console podcast (as spotted by GamesRadar), BioWare co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk discussed one of the regrets he’d had; specifically, launching Jade Empire at the end of the original Xbox’s life cycle. The RPG hit Xbox on April 12, 2005, several months before the November 22, 2005 launch date for the Xbox 360. And according to Dr. Zeschuk, Microsoft advised BioWare to launch it then, rather than later.

“And Microsoft’s like, ‘no no, you should release it now, right at the end of the cycle, because it’s a great time,'” Dr. Zeschuk said. “It was like, the worst advice. Like, absolute moronic advice from them. It was the stupidest thing ever.”

If BioWare had pushed the project back a bit, putting Jade Empire on the Xbox 360, Dr. Zeschuk speculated that the studio could have “rezzed it up,” and had it ready to go. It might have cost some more money, but could have put Jade Empire in a better place.

“Give us six months, give us the chance to make it a launch title for the 360 and we’d have another franchise,” Dr. Zeschuk said. “And I mean, who knows where… like, I just think it would have been a way more successful product at the beginnning of a cycle, versus the end.”

Granted, the BioWare co-founder also acknowledged that the combat of Jade Empire “wasn’t as good as it could have been.” In theory, though, it would have given Microsoft an RPG closer to, or even within, the 360’s launch window. While the Xbox 360 had games like Condemned: Criminal Origins, Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3, and the immaculately titled Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, it was short on role-playing games.

The Xbox 360 would become a defining console for BioWare, especially its current era. Mass Effect and Dragon Age would both launch on the Xbox 360, eventually becoming the dual pillars of modern BioWare. Could Jade Empire have been a third? There were once rumors of a Jade Empire 2, and visions of a canceled spiritual successor to Jade Empire surfaced a few years ago.

As it is now, BioWare is in a precarious position. After layoffs and several project lead departures, Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of Electronic Arts’ expectations. The studio was restructured earlier this year, with some developers moved to other EA projects, while others were laid off.

Now, all of BioWare’s efforts are pinned on one of those aforementioned pillars: the next Mass Effect. Announced at The Game Awards 2020, we’ve seen only a few teasers in the years since. Whether Jade Empire might have offered another pillar or not, it’s still interesting to consider how an Xbox 360 launch might have changed the games’ appraisal, and BioWare’s history as a whole.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.

If you’ve been looking to add some Spider-Man action figures into your collectible collection, Marvel Legends is releasing new figures based on Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 game that are up for preorder. At the moment, the figures available to preorder are of Miles Morales in his Brooklyn 2099 Suit, Miles Morales’ Upgraded Suit Style, Black Cat, Peter Parker in his Black Suit, Miles Morales in his Boricua Suit, and Peter Parker in the Anti-Venom Suit Style.

Each of these is listed for $24.99 and is set to release on June 1 this year. Head to the links below to get your preorders in today.

Preorder Marvel Legends Spider-Man Figures

Each of these figures comes with different parts and items so you can customize and pose them the way you want. This includes a variety of alternate hands, webbing, and more. For Marvel fans, and those who loved Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 game, these figures are a great addition to your collectible collection.

If you’re on the hunt for even more gaming items outside of these preorders, it’s worth having a look through our roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals. These cover the best discounts we’ve found across each platform for games, hardware, and accessories, so you can save big on items for your favorite console.

Or, if you’d prefer an overall look at the best gaming deals of the moment, both our roundups of the best video game deals and the best deals of the day are worth a look. While the former focuses on game deals, our deal of the day breakdown will provide an even bigger look at the best offers across games, tech, and movies if you want a little bit of everything instead.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Comic writer Gail Simone has revealed she worked on Warner Bros.’ beleaguered Wonder Woman game before it was shelved yesterday.

Simone, known for being the longest running female writer on Wonder Woman comics to date, praised the “dream team” working on the video game, insisting everyone she worked with from the now-shuttered Monolith and Warner Bros. was “enthusiastic and supportive.”

“I was asked to do long-term consulting on the game, and I was thrilled to do it, it was a perfect storm of stuff I adore,” Simone wrote on social media. “Wonder Woman, video games, and one of my favorite games studios: Monolith, who produced the Game Of The Year Mordor games, that I was completely addicted to.

“The game was gorgeous and expansive. It was beautiful to look at. I am not going to give details for a number of reasons, but every effort was made to make this not just a great game, but a great Wonder Woman game. A showpiece epic.

“And all of that was because of the team. Everyone who worked on it brought their A-game. Programmers, artists, designers, everyone. I don’t know that I have ever worked with a team that cared more about making sure the end product was perfect.”

“It was a dream come true. Wonder Woman had a dream team and they put their all into it,” Simone concluded.

“They made sure it had WW and DC lore on every aspect of the game. It was a thrill and honor to work with them. I know there’s a lot of finger-pointing going on, but everyone I worked with from Monolith and WB both was enthusiastic and supportive. Everyone wanted to make the best game ever.”

Announced in December 2021 with a brief teaser trailer and description, Wonder Woman was a single-player action adventure set in a “dynamic” open-world in which players became Diana of Themyscira in an original story set within the DC universe.

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Wonder Woman was in trouble after reportedly rebooting and switching directors early last year. It had already cost more than $100 million and was reportedly still years away from release.

Monolith’s reimagined Nemesis system (it developed the much-loved Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and its sequel) would have seen Wonder Woman befriending enemies, but the system was ditched in favor of a more traditional action adventure game.

Yesterday, Warner Bros. announced the end of development on Wonder Woman and the closure of three of its studios: Monolith Productions, MultiVersus developer Player First Games, and WB San Diego.

It followed a troubled year for Warner Bros.’ video game division, first with the catastrophic release of Rocksteady’s Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, then the disappointing release of Smash Bros.-style brawler MultiVersus. The company said Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League’s failure contributed to a $200 million hit to its business, with MultiVersus adding another $100 million on top. Warner Bros. Games’ only other recent release, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, also failed to make an impression.

Meanwhile, fans of Monolith’s much-loved Nemesis System are now lamenting its “wasted potential.”

Here’s Warner Bros.’ statement:

We have had to make some very difficult decisions to structure our development studios and investments around building the best games possible with our key franchises -– Harry Potter, Mortal Kombat, DC and Game of Thrones. After careful consideration, we are closing three of our development studios – Monolith Productions, Player First Games and Warner Bros. Games San Diego. This is a strategic change in direction and not a reflection of these teams or the talent that consists within them.

The development of Monolith’s Wonder Woman videogame will not move forward. Our hope was to give players and fans the highest quality experience possible for the iconic character, and unfortunately this is no longer possible within our strategic priorities. This is another tough decision, as we recognize Monolith’s storied history of delivering epic fan experiences through amazing games. We greatly admire the passion of the three teams and thank every employee for their contributions. As difficult as today is, we remain focused on and excited about getting back to producing high-quality games for our passionate fans and developed by our world class studios and getting our Games business back to profitability and growth in 2025 and beyond.

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.

Tarkir is back, and that means dragons. A lot of dragons. Magic: The Gathering – Tarkir: Dragonstorm is diving headfirst into the plane where clans battle, and giant flying lizards rule the skies. If you played during Khans of Tarkir, this set is like a reunion with old friends (except now, those friends have even more firepower and zero chill). Expect three-color madness, absurdly powerful spells, and just enough nostalgia to make you forget how many Siege Rhinos you lost to back in the day.

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Preorders

There’s something for everyone this time around. Want to Play Boosters, hunt for Collector Booster treasures, or jump straight into Commander mayhem? This set has you covered. No matter your budget or how badly you want to pull that ridiculously rare serialized dragon.

Magic: The Gathering Tarkir: Dragonstorm – Play Booster Box