BioWare has had a rough go of things over the last generation, but the studio is looking to turn things around with its upcoming new entries in the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises. To help with that process, BioWare has now hired Mary DeMarle as its new senior narrative director. It’s been confirmed that she will be helping BioWare work on the next iteration of the Mass Effect series.
DeMarle previously worked at Eidos-Montreal, where she lent her writing talents to games in the Deux Ex franchise, as well as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s worth knowing that she helped Eidos-Montreal win the Game Award for best narrative thanks to Guardians of the Galaxy too.
Michael Gamble, the director for the next Mass Effect, went to Twitter to say, “I’m really excited to let you know that Mary DeMarle will be joining the Mass Effect team as Senior Narrative Director. You’ve seen her work in Guardians of the Galaxy & Deus Ex (to name a few!). She’s amazing.”
DeMarle offered some insights into her creative process while speaking to GamesIndustry.biz last year. In an interview, she said, “For many, many years working in this industry, I’ve known that story is often subservient to gameplay. But if I understand the game and what is the feeling I’m trying to evoke for players, then I can understand that gameplay is trying to do it this way, and story is here to support that or bring it forward. How can the things I write help to emphasize the things the gameplay needs.”
This is likely great news for fans of the Mass Effect series. The most recent entry, Mass Effect: Andromeda, was met with a mixed reception, to say the least. With that in mind, it’s reassuring to know that a talented writer like DeMarle will be working on the next installment of the beloved sci-fi RPG franchise.
