Here’s some news that should intrigue fans of narrative-focused games: David Gaider, a BioWare veteran and a writer for several of the studio’s best titles, has started up a studio of his own called Summerfall Studios. Based in Melbourne, Australia, the new studio will be helmed by Gaider alongside Liam Esler, a fellow writer who contributed to games such as Pillars of Eternity and the re-releases of classic RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale.
According to the announcement, this new studio will seek to deliver experiences that will “crush your dreams and tear out your heart… in the very best way.” That crushing and tearing will likely start with Summerfall’s first game, whose existence was teased along with the studio’s announcement. At the moment, the only thing that’s been said about this game is that it is a “illustrated character-driven adventure,” but anyone curious to find out more can sign up for Summerfall’s newsletter. Doing so will provide them with an “exclusive preview” of the game sometime next week.
An official unveiling isn’t far off either, as the plan is for Summerfall to fund its debut title on Kickstarter next month. The crowdfunding campaign will go live at 5:30 PM PT on October 10, or 10:30 AM on October 11 Australian time. At around the same time, Gaider will be speaking at the keynote address at PAX Australia, where he will likely be talking about both the studio and the game.
Summerfall Studios is the newest venture for David Gaider after he left BioWare in early 2016. Prior to that, he had worked at the studio for 17 years, lending his writing talents to Baldur’s Gate 2, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and the Dragon Age series. After that, he joined Beamdog, the developer behind the remasters of many classic RPGs, before eventually parting ways in 2018.
The years since Gaider left have not been great for BioWare. In that time, the studio has seen its new releases failing to impress critics and fans alike. It started with 2017’s Mass Effect: Andromeda, and it continued with this year’s disappointing third-person shooter Anthem. It appears BioWare’s parent company EA has really put a strain on the studio’s ability to produce quality games in recent times. It’s gotten bad enough that many fear EA is effectively going to kill BioWare.
Source: Summerfall Studios