Some industry news this morning: James Ohlen announced that he’s retiring from BioWare after more than two decades at the company. MMORPG fans will recall he was at one time the creative director and lead designer for Star Wars The Old Republic, but of course he played a lead role in many other acclaimed BioWare franchises and was also attached to Anthem. He’s told fans he’s taking a break from the industry to work on RPG sourcebooks. SWTOR players are expressing their gratitude for his contributions over on Reddit.
After 22 years I have retired from BioWare. I've loved my time with Anthem, Star Wars, Dragon Age and Dungeons and Dragons. But I need to take a break from the industry and work on something a little smaller and more personal.
— James Ohlen (@JamesOhlen) July 12, 2018
Let’s shift gears from BioWare to Blizzard for the second bit of industry news. Hearthstone players and Blizzard fans were heartbroken this past spring when Hearthstone game director Ben Brode announced he was leaving Blizzard to start a new company that would “probably make games.” Last night, Brode tweeted that company’s name – Second Dinner – and confirmed that it is indeed a game studio. Yes, second breakfast jokes abounded.
So excited to announce our new company! https://t.co/maUXx5qOgE
— Ben Brode (@bbrode) July 12, 2018
