From Jade Empire 2 to brand new project. Revolver from BioWare was set to be like Assassin's Creed and DMC
After nearly 19 years since the release of Jade Empire, the brand seems to have been completely forgotten by BioWare and Electronic Arts. However, the developers had ambitious plans for its development, which over time turned into the idea of creating a completely new IP.
Jade Empire is a game that needs no introduction for action RPG fans, especially those who love BioWare studio's creations (more about it can be found in one of the Retro Gaming issues). Unfortunately, unlike other games of the team behind it, which have won the recognition of players and reviewers, this title didn't get a sequel.
Initially, such plans did exist. BioWare was considering turning Jade Empire into a series, and it had more than one idea for its second installment. It's worth exploring this project's tumultuous journey and discovering what might have occurred if history had taken a slightly different course.
Classic Jade Empire 2
Jade Empire 2 began its life during the period when BioWare was busy developing the first Mass Effect. However, it turns out that the devs didn't immediately know which direction they wanted to take. At first, Jade Empire 2 was intended to be a standard sequel, with its storyline taking place several decades after the events of the original series. The game was supposed to take us to the already-known universe and allow us to embody a new character.
The list of new features the sequel was meant to impress us with didn't stop at just new character. The devs planned that representatives of the Western world would appear in it. As for technical issues - Jade Empire 2 was supposed to be free of loading screens. Unfortunately, as time went on, the team responsible for this project was assigned to Commander Shepard's adventure and learning how to use Unreal Engine technology. Although this caused a big delay, it didn't mean the definitive end of the project.
Modern Jade Empire 2
In the meantime, a second, radically different idea for Jade Empire 2 emerged. The project, which Mark Darrah referred to as Jade Modern years later, was supposed to take us to the future of the universe created for the original game. Although over the years magic had disappeared from it, it would eventually reappear there.
Despite this drastic change, the game was to continue the threads from the first installment. As members of the CRU (Crisis Response Unit), a unit dealing with investigating matters related to magic, we would gain supernatural abilities over time. The ISA faction (Imperial Security Agency) would portray the antagonists, and our arch-enemy would be the good, old Emperor Lee.
As a result, this idea also failed, but... its devs didn't give up and chose to apply it to another project.
Revolver...
Ultimately, BioWare abandoned the concept of creating a sequel to Jade Empire in favor of a completely new idea. Thus, Revolver was born, an action RPG designed for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The game was supposed to impress with its size and capabilities.
In Revolver, we would find ourselves in an open world that we could explore in a style worthy of the Assassin's Creed series. The creators planned to implement parkour and the ability to climb on environmental elements. The dynamic combat, on the other hand, was supposed to bring to mind series such as Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden.
The devs were also not afraid to experiment with unconventional solutions. If we ended up killing a character linked to a plot-advancing quest (or otherwise blocked our access to it), the game was intended to introduce another NPC with a similar mission. However, the conversations were supposed to be modeled on those from Mass Effect; there would also be a morality system.
...and his issues
Revolver soon proved to be a more challenging project than the developers at BioWare might have anticipated. First and foremost, the game was becoming too big, which is why at some point the devs started collaborating with the Big Sandwich Games team (which has experience in creating sandbox games). However, that wasn't enough. As one of the developers recalled (via Unseen64):
While still working on Mass Effect, I’m included in some of the Revolver meetings. Revolver is at that interesting point where things start getting cut. This is good. The project had a whole lot of things up in the air, a ton of features that were each individually doable but way beyond the scope of the project.
While cuts might have been effective, the project's issues extended beyond just overly ambitious concepts. Devs must have gone grey trying to credibly explain why our character wasn't able to drive a car (developing a driving model was out of the question). In the end, it was decided that the only effective solution would be... the total removal of vehicles. Another problem was explaining why melee weapons were used in the game world, even though firearms were widely available there.
In conclusion, it's worth mentioning that the devs experimented with cel-shading technology, which would give Revolver's graphics a comic-like style, reminiscent of the Borderlands series.
End of the project
In the face of the financial crisis that raged in 2008-2009, BioWare's parent company, Electronic Arts, was forced to make budget cuts. As a result, Revolver, which was nearing the end of pre-production, was canceled.
It's important to note that although the financial crisis offers a convenient reason for why BioWare's ideas weren't realized, it wasn't the sole cause of this situation. The games Mass Effect and Dragon Age, which achieved spectacular success, also didn't help, so the studio no longer had to look for a "plan B." Moreover, since 2008, the team's resources began to be consumed by another project - Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The further fate of the Jade Empire brand
Nearly nineteen years after the release of Jade Empire, the opportunity to revive this brand could be gone. In 2016, this title was released on mobile devices, and the trademark registered in 2019 suggested that the new installment of the series might be an online game, but ultimately, all news about it vanished.
Despite the image crisis BioWare is currently facing, it can be speculated that there is a slight chance the studio and Electronic Arts might one day tap into fan nostalgia and win them over by developing a new title under this brand.
More:Online Jade Empire is Coming? EA Registers Trademark
