BioWare Speak Openly on Fan Criticism

BioWare has spoken freely on how it values feedback from fans, something they’ve certainly seen since the Mass Effect 3 ending debacle.

While some developers tend to disagree, BioWare don’t see listening to gamer comments as “pandering to fans” as such, in fact they’ve recently asked for suggestions concerning the future of the Dragon Age series. Dorian Kieken waxed lyrical on the subject when speaking to Gamesindustry:

“If someone gives a well thought out criticism, something that is tangible, those are the people that we try to reward as much as possible. And we want to reward them, because that feedback is how we make better games,” said Kieken.

“On the opposite side, opinion that is too emotional, we won’t reward that in the same way. The more you put that as your philosophy, the more you start to have a culture where people are trying to be more analytical with their feedback.”

In short, Kieken believes BioWare profits from listening to fans. But the key to acting on feedback is taking a “balanced approach”.

“It’s a fine line with dangers on one side or the other, but it’s the healthy one. And I think it’s representative of what gaming is. It’s not a two-hour art-form that’s imposed upon you. It’s interactive, so you’re going to have your say on it.”

Kieken went on to discuss the importance of making games that sell, dispelling any myths that their being owned by Electronic Arts makes the studio financially invincible.

“If we have two games in a row, as expensive as we are, that don’t do well at all… we need to be careful,” Kiekan explained.