Jade Empire still 'near and dear' to BioWare

by Jessica Conditt on Sep 24th 2011 7:30PM

BioWare is busy, but it hasn't forgotten about its diamond in the rough, 2005's Jade Empire -- the company is "just looking for the right way to deploy it," co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk said at Eurogamer Expo 2011. Muzyka said BioWare is passionate about Jade Empire because it's an IP, and fans may see something from its universe "in the near future."

This is consistent with BioWare's previous proclamations of Jade Empire love, when Mike Laidlaw called it a "staff favorite" in 2009. Laidlaw said BioWare didn't have anything to announce at that time, a sentiment echoed by Muzyka this week -- we may have to wait another two years to see what exactly this new non-announcement means, or to get another vague, nostalgic claim about Jade Empire.

Source: Eurogamer

Tags: BioWare, Jade-Empire, JadeEmpire, microsoft, pc, xbox

Reader Comments (57)

i will buy anything from bioware at this point. New Jade Empire is welcome too!

@fdgsdfsdfgh Buy anything FROM BIOWARE, he said.

@The Blank Mage Returns
So just to reiterate, buy any ware from bioware is what you're saying?

Port Jade Empire 1 to PSN, make jade Empire 2 for all platforms. Faenix will continue to love Bioware. :)

@Faenix Jade Empire was published my Microsoft for the Xbox so I wouldn't hold my breath on that.

@Tommy758
PC version was published by BioWare, according to steam

@Faenix

Forget PSN. Just put it on the Blu-Ray disc with Jade Empire 2.

@(Unverified)

2K games published the PC version retail and Valve published it to well steam.

Also Bioware didn't develop the PC version. LTI Gray Matter ported it.

i'm down for more Jade Empire...but, i'm still hoping that ME3 will be good. i loved the first 2, but everything i see on ME3 just makes me feel uneasy. Kinect support? a more dudebro-centric approach? bleh...at any rate, whatever BioWare does next, i just want it to be something that ISN'T Mass Effect.

@Liquidfingers Whats wrong with Kinect support? It's not like its required to play the game and its only for dialogue and squad commands. Nothing wrong with that.

@Liquidfingers

The kinect support is barebones according to what has been detailed. Essentially all they are doing is taking voice commands that games used to use the headsets for, and moving it to the Kinect. It's probably less of a Bioware choice as it is a Microsoft choice.
As for the dudebro comment, I'm assuming you are referring to the Situation-ish new Human male character right? Nothing forcing you to use him though.

@DevilSei

yes, i was mostly referring to the new human character, but i also recall a statement in an interview with one of the ME crew members saying that they are looking to draw in some of the Call of Duty crowd with ME3. maybe i'm just imagining that, but i could have sworn i read something along those lines...another thing that has me worried: multiplayer! is it really even necessary in Mass Effect? i can't think of any way that it would be, other than maybe co-op.

@Liquidfingers

There is no mutliplayer in ME3.

@Liquidfingers

There is no multiplayer in Mass Effect 3. They have stated as such. Besides, even if James Vega is a douchewad, that's not really going to change the whole damn game, is it? I don't see them suddenly making Wrex walk around with a popped collar, shotgunning beers.

In reply to the quote where they wanted to make it more likable to the COD crowd, it was in a Game Informer article, and it was referring specifically polishing the combat enough so that it went beyond "competent third person shooter" to a really fun competitor mechanically to games like Gears and Uncharted.

Amount of information in this article: zero.

I'm going to be controversial and say that Jade Empire is Bioware's best game to date.

@WesleyCrusherSweater

No controversy as far as I'm concerned.

@WesleyCrusherSweater

If real happy for you Jade Empire and Ima let you finish, but KOTOR is the the best Bioware game of all time. Of all time.

@WesleyCrusherSweater
Both my good buddy KOTOR and I think you're wrong.

If Bioware makes a new Jade Empire I will die without regrets, not that I am dying mind you.

Please! Come on guys!

I know that I'm probably the only one who cares, but what happened to Sonic Chronicles 2? For all the flaws of the first game I still enjoyed it and was looking forward to a sequel to fix the problems the first one had...

@Zenith Seconded. Not to mention they left off on a cliffhanger.

@Zenith

Sonic Chronicles 2 please.

Would love to see a jade empire 2. Second best xbox game ever made

As much as I would love to see it, I fear that an attempt right now would cause BioWare to overextend. The reputation doesn't come from the BioWare name, but from the talent. Dilute that talent too much and the name gets diluted along with it. If BioWare could throw all of its energy into a Jade Empire 2, I will get it, but they need to finish up their current projects first.

@LaughingTarget

With them having the 2 major teams of Dragon Age and Mass Effect and the end of the Mass Effect trilogy coming next year...

Jade Empire 2 anyone?

If it gets the same level of quality and care the first one got I'd be glad to see this made, that said I'm not very confident in bioware these days...

A new Jade Empire would be amazing, but if (and only if) they retained the feel of the original. Recent Bioware titles have veered off into a "darker" direction that would strip away a lot of Jade Empire's charm. It worked fairly well in ME2, significantly less in DA2 and at this point, it'd feel forced and tired if they did the same to Jade Empire.

But maybe I have too much love for the original. Who knows.

Loved Empire. I hope the next one feel more...complete. I mean, it felt really short, and I wanted to explore a little more of the wonderful world they made.

So, is it worth picking it up the first one? I've played every Bioware game since KOTOR, excluding Jade Empire.

@Korbie It's pretty cheap on steam. This is actually the first I've heard of this game (I know, I don't know how either) so I'm going to pick this one up when I get some spare cash and I've cleared some of my game backlog out... damn steam sales...

@Korbie Yeah it's a great game. Go with PC though (unless you have an original Xbox) - the Xbox version is playable on a 360 but it suffers from low framerates and occasional glitching which wasn't present on the original platform. It's still playable but I definitely felt it detracted from the experience.

@chauncy

The xbox version is also available on XBL via xbox originals.

They tend to run better then using the disk version of the 360.

@This Little Man Says His Name Is You know, even though I've actually seen it in the originals list, I didn't even think of that because I still have the discs. Glad to hear it runs smooth though, I may even get it.

@Korbie
Replace "Jade Empire" with "KOTOR" and I'm in. Otherwise, don't care.

A sequel could maybe be coming. Specific.

I'd like a hi def version of the original for Xbox Arcade/PSN.

@Hoops

same here. that would be awesome!

@Hoops

The original is already available on XBL via xbox originals.
You wont ever see a PSN version though with MS holding the publishing rights.

Jade Empire HD remake to hold us over till the sequel?

Nah, I'd rather not see a Dragon Age 2 happen to Jade Empire.

@Diet Kane

This was my exact thought when I saw this. I'd truly like to see a new Jade Empire game come out, but if they make the kinds of shifts they did from DA to DA2, then no thanks.
I have fond memories, I'd hate for it to be marred by terribleness!

The Blackwhirlwind for the win!!!!!!

For those of you that got to the last part of the game, if you had the Blackwhirlwind as your companion you can read his to do list. Its hilarious.

that would be awesome the first is awesome

I love Jade Empire! I would love Jade Empire 2 even more :'(

make it so

I never played Jade Empire but if they're able to deliver a quality RPG with a mystical eastern setting (judging purely from the screenshot) then count me the hell in

@Crayola Q Pants ESQ

You need to play Jade Empire. It's pure ecstasy wrapped in awesome with a lot (almost too much) of kickass smothered all over it.

And more awesome on the side...

Followed by beer...

Just go buy this game, because it's really freakin' sweet.

@Crayola Q Pants ESQ
There was this awesome tea house ambush scene in the game that is clearly a shoutout to countless kungfu films. Er, I guess the whole game is an homage. The devs clearly love this genre.

WHAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa oh yeaaaaaaa

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Jade Empire

Jade Empire still 'near and dear' to BioWare

Reader Comments (57)

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 7:33PM DokiDokiBawanga said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 10:56PM The Blank Mage Returns said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 2:12AM Crayola Q Pants ESQ said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 7:38PM Faenix said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 7:42PM Tommy758 said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 8:14PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 12:55AM sin2sin said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 5:57AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 7:47PM Liquidfingers said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 8:09PM FalconLunch said

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Posted: Sep 24th 2011 9:26PM Liquidfingers said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 5:58AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

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Posted: Sep 24th 2011 7:49PM ScottishViking said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 7:53PM WesleyCrusherSweater said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 10:11PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 5:59AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Sep 26th 2011 1:34PM Fermie Prime said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 7:53PM shankythestabber said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 7:55PM dtrain1183 said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 7:59PM Zenith said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 8:06PM The Blank Mage Returns said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 12:59AM sin2sin said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 8:16PM Twiztdclwn4life said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 8:28PM LaughingTarget said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 6:01AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 8:28PM johnvonhugendong said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 8:30PM RickGhastly said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 8:52PM Batzarro The worlds WOrst Detect said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 8:57PM Korbie said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 9:06PM Hank Hill said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 9:34PM chauncy said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 6:03AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 6:29AM chauncy said

Posted: Sep 26th 2011 1:33PM Fermie Prime said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 9:08PM Mehbah said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 9:09PM Hoops said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 9:28PM Liquidfingers said

Posted: Sep 25th 2011 6:04AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 9:32PM dblue said

Posted: Sep 24th 2011 10:07PM Diet Kane said

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