Bioware, the esteemed developers behind franchises like Dragon Age and Mass Effect, have really outdone themselves this time. They assisted in the creation of a Mass Effect level based on one couples' relationship. Jackie wanted to propose to her partner Amy in a really unique way. Both Jackie and Amy are huge fans of the Mass Effect series, so when Bioware got the e-mail from Jackie, they didn't waste much time in getting a team together. The Bioware employees who worked on this project are: writer Ann Lemay, lead level designer Colin Campbell, and QA analyst Barrett Rodych.
“I love being married. It’s my favorite thing about my life, and it’s a huge amount of what I enjoy about living, but being a videogame designer doesn’t often give me the opportunity to help someone else have a marriage,” Colin said. “This is rare and something that’s almost never going to happen to anyone in the industry, so as soon as I saw the opportunity, I jumped right on it.”
So as not to give away the meaning for this swell occasion, Bioware made a fake event for the two called, "A Day with Our Devs." Jackie and Amy had recently attended PAX East, so Bioware sent the two an e-mail informing them that they had won the opportunity to visit them.
Once Amy and Jackie arrived at the studio, Amy was asked to play the game under the guise of consumer feedback.
“I was really nervous, even having gone through the level 20 times on my own making sure all the doors were
After all, it's not like someone's perfect marriage proposal is on the line, right?
“I did get some of the other writers to read through it to make sure I wasn’t selling the punch too soon,” Ann said. “But I also know that it can be a stressful environment for someone to come into a studio and starting to play something, so I tried to plant good hints as to what was going on.”
After reaching the end of the level, which had a lot of references to the couple's relationship, Amy entered a room that had their names spraypainted on a huge wall in the back. There was one lone console in the middle of the room, which Amy wasted no time in booting up. It displayed these words:
“Dear Amy, Jackie would like to ask you something.
Love,
All of us at BioWare”
Jackie got down on one knee, took her ring out, and proposed to her partner.
Amy said yes!
We love you, Bioware.
