Ex-BioWare employee claims to have worked on Jade Empire 2 in 2006, 2007

by Ben Gilbert on Apr 14th 2011 5:30PM

It could just be a very, very specific, unintentional typo, but we're gonna bet that ex-BioWare lead level designer Rafael Brown knew what he was doing when he included "Jade Empire 2 (360/PS3/PC)" in his list of "unreleased" games that he worked on in his LinkedIn profile. The listing suggests a current-generation sequel was planned for the 2005 Xbox/PC/Mac Jade Empire.

The listing also indicates he was working on the title at BioWare somewhere between April 2006 and April 2007 -- the year that Brown was employed by the company. His job description at the dev even specifies he was the "lead level/world designer on an unannounced project."

Meanwhile, other folks still employed at BioWare were feeling optimistic about the Jade Empire IP as recently as 2009. The BioWare of 2011, however, had yet to respond as of publishing.

Via: Eurogamer
Source: LinkedIn

Tags: bioware, Jade-Empire, jade-empire-2, JadeEmpire, linkedin, microsoft, pc, playstation, ps3, rafael-brown, xbox

Reader Comments (58)

Ah BioWare, instead of Jade Empire 2 and KOTOR 2, we got DA 2 and SWTOR. Why have you done this to me?

@ovoon

EA

@ovoon

Wait why are we dissing on SWTOR? From the beta impressions I've read and seen, the game is shaping up very nicely.

I can understand the DA2 bashing, but I think SWTOR is very promising. To the point where I'm going to subscribe to it, even though I've never done so for an MMO.

@BoBsS
Most of us would have rather had a kotor 3 than some MMO. Though, admittedly, it does look pretty good. In the end, though, I just can't ever bring myself to pay a monthly fee for a game. It just isn't worth it, for me.

Plus, it's always going to be an MMO and I'd be extremely surprised if they actually revolutionize the genre. I just don't see that happening. At the end of the day, it'll be an MMO with all the crap that MMOs have.

@ovoon

I love the concept of a Dragon Age 2, I don't like whatever it ended up trying to be.

@iHavePants

enchantment??

@ovoon
Obsidian did a great job with KotOR 2, it had an excellent story and great gameplay. The only problem was that the publisher rushed it out before they could polish it, so it's glitchy as crap. In my opinion, KotOR 2 was *better* than KotOR 1. BioWare is great at making games with "epic" storylines, but KotOR 2 was more aloof and philosophical, and I really liked that.

@twocows

KOTOR 2 was recycled environments and a story without an ending. You're right that it was due to a rushed development cycle, though. The crafting and "influence" systems were pretty cool, but amounted to little with how Phantom-Menacian the story was.

Obviously, BioWare learned a lot from that with Dragon Age 2.

I'll love a new Jade Empire. I won't love having all of the "loot" distributed to me based on how much Dr. Pepper I drink and how many different retailers I can pre-order it from. Nor will I enjoy filling out my party with DLC characters at $10 a pop.

To think I once valued BioWare more than any other developer...

@ovoon I LOVED Jade Empire. It was a perfect emulation of Wu Shu at it's best. Was hoping for a follow-up (still hoping?). BTW There WAS a KOTOR 2...developed by Obsidian but it was developed nonetheless. Never got around to playing through that one though.

KOTOR 3, sorry

@ovoon It's just as well. Kotor 2 really needs to be redone properly.

How about that for an "HD" remake, bioware? Clean up the mess Obsidian and you (you gave it to them, didn't you?) made and remake KOTOR 2 with the cut features and a better script/story. You know, give us what we really wanted and deserved.

That's crazy talk, though!

@Mmmmz: Wat

KotOR2's story > KotOR, EVEN with no ending. I can't believe Obsidian did as well as they did with less than a year to develop the game.

@MGTrey Absolutely, as it is, I can honestly say KOTOR 2 probably has the greatest writing of any game ever. Especially the characters, man, no game has come close to the depth and complexity of those characters! Why have no games adapted the influence system? It was genius! Obsidian and it's creation don't get nearly enough credit for accomplishing what they did with what little they were given. If they had been allotted the time and resources to finish it, there is no doubt in my mind people would still say it trumps KOTOR 1 AND Mass Effect 2.

I actually really love Jade Empire, I know it's not really the popular opinion though.

@Rawrnosaurous

Pfffffffffft.

Jade Empire is easily my favorite BioWare game.

And possibly my favorite game on the original Xbox.

Please, BioWare. Don't let the series languish.

The way of the Closed Fist NEEDS a super-deadly assassin asshole to walk the plains of fake China, being a total douche and jump-kicking people right in their face/balls.

I can be that asshole.

@Rawrnosaurous
I thought it was popular opinion that the game was rock solid, if not familiar. It was beautiful, too, and it still holds up IMO (on PC at least).

I think it just wasn't as appreciated because we got shafted big time on Kotor 2 and many people would have rather had a proper Kotor 2 than Jade Empire, which bioware worked on instead.

Still, Jade Empire is meant to be enjoyed so people should grab it on Steam, post haste.

@Urethra Alfredo

lol. Well said my friend. I won't even comment other than to say it again. Well said.

/bow

@Urethra Alfredo

i read face/balls as one word and it felt great. you should try it.

One of my favorite games of the last generation of consoles and one of the top 5 game soundtracks I've ever heard. If they put it out there I'll buy it.

Oh man, hell yeah! I'd rather have DA3 and a proper KOTOR3, but this would be great too

@The Cole Train well we will most likely be getting DA3

I'd love to have a Jade Empire 2.

@DanteSparda504

You and I both.

This was one of the best games on the old Xbox.

never played the original but always wanted to download it on their service. but i'm cheap and new cool arcade games always come out!

I'm always surprised to hear this kind of stuff. I was always under the impression that you just don't put unreleased products in your resume.

I mean, do you really want to admit that you worked on uncompleted product? There is nothing a potential employer can get from that, besides that things went poorly enough that it was cancelled.

At least with finished products they are a known quantity. Employers can look up how well it was received, if they don't already. They can pick up the game and see for themselves.

I bet writers don't brag about books they mostly wrote but never finished, and artists never talk about the sculpture that they completed part of, but broke before they could complete it.

It just seems unprofessional to me. But this guy worked at BioWare, so he's already got a leg up on me I suppose.

@omgJOHN i think its different for coders. They could laugh about the ineptness of suits and have a big laugh at it you know?

or maybe make a connection with an interviewer on a game everyone knew.
"Jade Empire 2? That would have been cool! iknowrite I hate business people."

something like that

EA purchase thwarted this anyways

@omgJOHN

I hear what you're saying but I imagine that the reasons why a project is canceled in the videogame industry is vastly different than a book never being finished.

If this guy was working on level/world design it's unlikely that his shoddy work caused the project to be canned. More likely resources were tight and executives made a decision to pursue other avenues/projects that were deemed more profitable.

I can see many people believing that the more experience you have = the more you know, which makes you a more desirable candidate. Plus, if I were looking at his resume, I'd look at Jade Empire 1s levels and I'd probably be impressed that BioWare trusted this guy to work on one of the stronger elements of the "series".

@omgJOHN

Yeah, but unfinished or never released games aren't uncommon.

All the guy really needs on his resume is that he worked at Bioware. That name alone carries weight.

@omgJOHN I think in the games industry, it's understood that not every game that makes it to the development phase will get published. I'd prefer to put that I worked on such and such unreleased title than to have a 1-2 year gap on my resume (think of how the resumes of people who worked at 3DRealms on DNF would look if they had to leave that out).

You can illustrate experience with whatever engine you were using and other stuff.

I really liked Jade Empire as well.

Jade Empire was one of those games that I can still go back and play because it was so well done. To have a sequel would just be the cats pajamas.

I have the original on Xbox, but it didn't really do it for me. Though I should try it again, the last time I played it was (checking...) four years ago? Wow.

I have a project for this weekend.

With the lineup of Bioware being TOR and Mass Effect 3, I highly doubt we'll see anything on Jade Empire for quite some time, if it is even being considered..

Not saying Bioware is like Blizzard, but after WoW came out for Blizzard, it took how long for another Blizzard title to come out that wasn't an MMO? (Think it was 5 years or something from WoW to Starcraft II)..

But we'll see I guess..

Jade Empire was a great title if not a little aimless. With all that BioWare has done since then, a sequel or re-imagining could be potentially badass.

Sadly, never got around to playing it. Anyone know if it still holds up? I'm debating picking it up.

@Beastcake its downloadable on originals. LETS TRY IT 2GETHR

Jade Empire is one of the best games to come out on the original XBOX.

@ArkhVader

...and yet...like so many other good games lately...it vanishes from existence and instead, we get to wait for remakes/releases 10 to 20 years later, FPS titles from all colors of the damn rainbow and a MMO instead...all of which, now have the DLC plague.

Not a diss on the MMO...but I would have *really* liked one of my favorite titles from that system to return...hell, I still have my original copy of this.

Sadly Jade Empire is currently in my back catalog. I will need to get to it soon, and I pretty much love anything BioWare does.

I'm glad everyone who hasn't played Jade Empire is letting us know they haven't played Jade Empire. I was wondering.

@CamelCamelCamel

{[ ^_^ ]}

oh man i would have totally dug a Jade Empire sequel. It was by far my fav game on the original XBOX.

Dude, hook me up. Seriously.

Preface:
In no way am I hating on Jade Empire, but...

for everyone who said that JE is their fave game on old Xbox, let us not forget that KOTOR was not only an early Xbox game, but also better than JE.
Had to say it, sorry. But before you get too click-happy, just know that I bought JE when it first released and I am happy to still own it. For whatever that's worth...

@JonahStein some people are drawn more to a jade empire like universe than star wars.

@JonahStein

Meh.

I'm so not into Star Wars.

I am, however, way into martial arts flicks.

So for guys like me?

Jade Empire was definitely the better game

MAKE IT!

Jade 2 would be an amazing thing. First one was one of the best on the original xbox.

Yeah, and while you're at it, make Sonic: The Dark Brotherhood 2! Who's with me?!

...guys?

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Jade Empire

Ex-BioWare employee claims to have worked on Jade Empire 2 in 2006, 2007

Reader Comments (58)

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:37PM ovoon said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:32PM Shig said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 7:04PM BoBsS said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 7:14PM Mmmmz said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 8:03PM iHavePants said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 8:15PM ngSliver said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 8:21PM twocows said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 9:10PM Chareth Cutestory said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 1:07AM MDizzy said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:38PM ovoon said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:19PM Mmmmz said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 10:51PM MGTrey said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 11:13PM TheDarkWayne said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:38PM Rawrnosaurous said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:00PM Urethra Alfredo said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:23PM Mmmmz said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 7:26PM Misfit Toy said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 8:16PM Liquidfingers said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:39PM dtrain1183 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:42PM The Cole Train said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 3:38PM Riley said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:44PM DanteSparda504 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:53PM merobb said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:49PM Raffi256 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:51PM Jack Kevorkian said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:57PM omgJOHN said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:04PM Jack Kevorkian said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:05PM Truant said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 9:02PM Misfit Toy said

Posted: Apr 15th 2011 1:14AM MDizzy said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:57PM Truant said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 5:57PM frylocke2581 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:00PM Colin said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:09PM mp84 said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:16PM iceveiled said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:16PM Beastcake said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:37PM Jack Kevorkian said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 6:59PM ArkhVader said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 9:31PM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 7:23PM AwesomeTown said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 7:46PM CamelCamelCamel said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 8:04PM JonahStein said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 7:50PM isawthelight said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 8:08PM Playace said

Posted: Apr 14th 2011 8:12PM JonahStein said

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Posted: Apr 14th 2011 9:44PM Fuzunga said

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