For context, Jade Empire was released on the original Xbox and PC all the way back in April 2005. This would be just a few months before the launch of the Xbox 360 (November 2005), which would go on to become an incredibly popular console.

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

This would indicate that Jade Empire was originally going to be released on Xbox 360 rather than being left behind on the original Xbox thanks to Microsoft’s advice. Zeschuck spoke about BioWare potentially using the extra time leading up to the Xbox 360’s release to improve the visuals of Jade Empire.

“Give us six months, give us the chance to make it a launch title for the 360 and we’d have another franchise,” 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.”

For some additional context, BioWare had worked quite closely with Microsoft at the time, having developed RPGs like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the original Xbox. Their partnership would continue on the Xbox 360, which was the first platform to get the original Mass Effect.

In the same interview, Zeschuck also spoke about how he, alongside co-founder Ray Muzyka, could have potentially taken over EA from within the company if BioWare’s in-development MMORPG at the time, Star Wars: The Old Republic, would have been successful. According to Zeschuck, if The Old Republic had been successful enough to have made an incredible amount of money – around $2 billion a year – the duo had a shot of taking over EA.

“I lived in Austin for two-and-a-half years making Star Wars the Old Republic [and] I knew that was kind of a one-way trip,” said Zeschuk. “If it was super successful, super duper successful, Ray and I would have probably launched a bid to try and take over EA from the inside, being the corporate pirates that we are. But it needed to be like $2 billion a year successful. But it didn’t work out so I was like, ‘Ah, I’m fine.’”

Zeschuck also spoke how working at EA made him realise how much he disliked working within a big coporate machine. Despite the success BioWare saw at the time with Mass Effect and Dragon Age, Zeschuck realised that he was going to leave at some point.

“Big companies exist to exploit properties,” he said. “They exist to exploit games. Most of the big North American guys, they’re just good at ‘Hey, let’s just squeeze the most money out of this franchise.’ They don’t kind of create a lot of them, and I kind of realized early on that I like making games. I don’t like just operating.”

30. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden

Don’t Nod’s second major action RPG, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden was released early last year, and it turned out to be a way better experience than Vampyr. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden was an excellent action role playing game with plenty to do with story being its main focus. Throughout the game’s narrative, players would have to make tough decisions which can result in any of the five endings.

Halo: Combat Evolved

It’s crazy to believe that Halo: Combat Evolved began as a third-person shooter for the Mac. Developed by Bungie, the original game arguably took console first-person shooters to the next level with giant sandbox levels that facilitated multiple approaches, an incredible soundtrack and massive battles. Sure, the level design and story could have been better, but as many gamers’ first introduction to Master Chief, it was perfect.

THE ORDER: 1886

There’s no denying that The Order: 1886 didn’t exactly do justice to its premise, but at the same time, this is the sort of premise that could really have come into its own if it had been given the chance to build on its foundation and learn from its mistakes. The 2015 title looked gorgeous and transported players to a vividly imaginative setting, and we would have loved to see that idea being expanded and built upon in a sequel that worked to address its predecessor’s issues.

Jade Empire is often considered one of BioWare’s most criminally underrated games to date. Lost in the shuffle of the megaton releases of Dragon Age and Mass Effect, the martial arts RPG is often overlooked by most, but as its many, many fans would tell you, it’s one hell of a game. There have been many who have wondered whether a sequel was ever on the cards at BioWare, and we now have a clearer answer to that.

Revolver was a project that started life as a sequel to Jade Empire, and eventually morphed into its own thing, instead becoming more of a spiritual successor. More details were revealed in the recently published book BioWare: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development. Meanwhile, BioWare artist Matt Rhodes has been providing a better look of what the game would have looked like, showing characters, environments, antagonists, and more with dozens of pieces of concept art across a number of galleries on Instagram, all of which you can view below.

Revolver was going to be an open world game with a sandbox environment that would have put a focus on traversal and parkour. The game was set to feature non-linear storytelling and quests in its science fiction setting. It was in development from 2005 to 2008 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, but BioWare eventually cancelled the project internally, instead shifting focus to Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2 (via Eurogamer).

Given how interesting that premise and setting sound and how aesthetically the game looks based on the art shared by Rhodes, it goes without saying that many BioWare fans will be aching over the game’s cancellation. Take a look at its concept art below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matt Rhodes (@mattrhodesart)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matt Rhodes (@mattrhodesart)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matt Rhodes (@mattrhodesart)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matt Rhodes (@mattrhodesart)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matt Rhodes (@mattrhodesart)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matt Rhodes (@mattrhodesart)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matt Rhodes (@mattrhodesart)

Ghost of Tsushima

The initial skirmish between the Samurai clans and Mongol army doesn’t really go well with pretty much everyone killed, save for Jin’s uncle Lord Shimura. Jin himself would have been a goner if not for Yuuna. And while he doesn’t necessarily wallop Khotun Khan in their first encounter, it does mark the beginning of his terrifying reign as the Ghost.

For many years, BioWare was the golden standard of the video game industry. With the likes of Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and more, they were on the top of the mountain of RPGs and storytelling in video games. Unfortunately, the last few years have been rough. The last Mass Effect title disappointed many, and their latest title, Anthem, was a disaster at launch that is in the process of being rebuilt and relaunched. But the hope is still there that the studio can grab some previous glory, and they seem to be working on something in that vein.

A new job listing from the company reveals they are hiring for what is being described as the next major title from “one of BioWare’s most prestigious franchises.” That about all we know, but if you’re looking to be a Technical Director for something like that, you can see the listing through here.

There certainly are several potential franchises to chose from that could fit that bill. We know a new Dragon Age is in development, and it feels like we’re in a never-ending tease for a new Mass Effect and its ‘many stories to still tell.’ Whatever it is, lets hope it’ll help bring BioWare back up a bit.

Jade Empire was an interesting beast as it was a departure from the typical BioWare game and took place in a universe largely governed of Chinese mythology. With a similar morality mechanic seen in Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, that clearly worked well for that  game, mixed with it’s own brand of a more cartoony art style and a more arcadey combat system, Jade Empire would quickly carve out it’s own little spot in the action/adventure RPG genre within the Xbox and PC gaming audience.

"Early in 2019 it was revealed that EA had applied for a new trademark on Jade Empire back in January."

On top of that, it would review fairly well with lots of 8s and 9s out of ten across the board, which put it in a pretty good place to see a sequel. However, that sequel never came, which is odd. With a game that reviewed so well, sold decently considering it’s limited audience at the time, and even continues to get ported to mobile devices to this day, why would BioWare neglect to continue the franchise? Perhaps we won’t be able to know that just yet. But there is cause for speculation that Jade Empire might not be going too much longer without returning in some form.

Early in 2019 it was revealed that EA had applied for a new trademark on Jade Empire back in January 2019. This is the type of thing that could mean everything you think it does, or it could mean nothing at all. Many times, trademarks are filed for preventative reasons, as in, preventing somebody else from taking the name, despite having no real plans for doing much with it yourself.

It could also be just a ploy to generate some headlines on gaming news websites, which it did, and gauge interest online and through social media. These are techniques that big publishers like EA, who now of course owns BioWare, are no stranger to. But of course, it could still very well mean that a Jade Empire 2 or a remake or remaster of the original game  is on the way in one form or another.

If this is the case, and BioWare is actively working on a sequel to the original Jade Empire, then we could be in for something rather special as the team has expressed interest in continuing the franchise many times over the years.

"Not too long after that, a former BioWare developer who was likely looking for his next chapter in his career had explicitly listed Jade Empire 2 on his resumé."

All the way back in 2007, BioWare did publically mention that the Jade Empire intellectual property was part of the acquisition by Electronic Arts. Not that this should come as a surprise, as EA tends to gobble everything up when to do one of those, but still the mere mention of that fact is something worth noting. A few years later in 2010, BioWare noted in an interview in the official Xbox 360 magazine that fans should not “count out the studio revisiting this franchise in the not-too-distant future…” and although the developer would not confirm or deny that a Jade Empire sequel was in the works in any capacity, he did go out of his way to opine that Jade Empire was certainly a long-running staff favorite.

They talk about it a lot and, eventually, they would love to revisit that world at some point. Whether he meant as a sequel, a remake, or some sort of spin-off was unclear at the time, but again, that was an assessment that didn’t need to be mentioned at all, and since it was, that says something.

Not too long after that, a former BioWare developer who was likely looking for his next chapter in his career had explicitly listed Jade Empire 2 on his resumé, this of course seemed to indicate that some work had been underway at one point in time while he was working with BioWare. Unfortunately this led to no comment from BioWare, which can definitely be interpreted in many different ways. Perhaps, as Kotaku surmised, this was just a concept piece, or something else of similarly small significance. Or, as they would not quite say, it could have been something much larger. Later in 2011, BioWare’s co-founder went on record with Eurogamer saying that Jade Empire is an IP and a setting that they were and are still passionate about. Adding “Both Greg and I were big believers in the IP… We’re just looking for the right way to deploy it.“.

This was perhaps the most illuminating remark from BioWare yet, as it puts Jade Empire 2 outside of the realm of if, and firmly into the realm of when. However, that was nearly a decade ago, and lots of turnover at all levels of BioWare have occured since then, as well as a cultural shift that seems to favor science fiction games like Mass Effect and Anthem, which are very much at odds with something like Jade Empire. Fast forward to March of 2015, this very topic surfaced where BioWare Edmonton and Montreal general manager Aaryn Flynn directly responded to lingering questions about the elusive sequel, saying that BioWare’s “plate is awfully full right now, but the idea to go back to the universe does come up pretty regularly. […] Mark [Darrah] and I spent a solid two hours in my office talking about it not long ago…“. Which sounds less sure than what we got back in 2011, but still indicates a general interest in the IP.

As many of us now know, Aaron Flynn has since left BioWare. As a nice little bow to wrap all of these moments up, In late 2016, a BioWare-focused article from GameInformer made some some news on the topic by mentioning the Jade Empire franchise and does say that although a small team had experimented with possibilities for a sequel, BioWare eventually decided to focus its efforts on other projects.

"It does seem that with BioWare being in the spot that they are, where their last two major releases haven’t exactly lived up to expectations, perhaps a big shift in direction is just what the doctor ordered to inject themselves with a new surge of energy and start to turn the page just in time for the new decade."

This effort from a small team could have very well been what the former BioWare developer was referring to on his resume back in 2011. So it seems like a Jade Empire sequel is something that might have gone through quite a lot in the last decade, with starts and stops that were responses to various happenings in the gaming market and what BioWare has determined their best course of action to be.

It does seem that with BioWare being in the spot that they are, where their last two major releases haven’t exactly lived up to expectations, perhaps a big shift in direction is just what the doctor ordered to inject themselves with a new surge of energy and start to turn the page just in time for the new decade. It’s tough to say at this point, but with the Jade Empire trademark being suspended as of April of last year, I wouldn’t suggest anybody start holding their breath for anything major for this game just yet.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Shadow Hearts: From the New World

Imagine an alternate reality Prohibition era America with ninjas, talking cats, vampires and of course, demons. That’s Shadow Hearts: From the New World in a nutshell as players assume the role of teenage PI Johnny Garland. The game starts in a fixed path but quickly expands after a job that Johnny takes quickly goes off the rails. With a combat system dependent on timed button presses and combos, strange plot twists and an endearing cast of oddities, From the New World is perhaps the strangest and yet most endearing PS2 RPG of its time.

DEUS EX: MANKIND DIVIDED

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided ruffled some feathers with its abrupt ending, but no one could doubt that it was a great game. It built on the complex systemic moment-to-moment action from Human Revolution, offering players diverse choices in how they wanted to tackle any given objective, and all in all, was more than just a solid package. Sadly, at launch, the game’s sells fell below expectations, and Square Enix ended up putting the franchise on ice. Both Square Enix and Eidos Montreal have said on multiple occasions that the Deus Ex series isn’t done yet, so let’s just hope a sequel isn’t too far away (but it most likely is).