Co-founder of BioWare, Dr. Ray Muyzka, has written an open letter on their official blog to Mass Effect 3 fans that apologizes for its ending and promises that changes will be made in April.
So it seems I was right on time with my Mass Effect 3 feature today. There are legitimate arguments on both sides of the issue, and BioWare will be considering both of that. But I know that everyone's been pelted with opinions on the game's ending ever since it released more than several weeks ago. After writing the feature, I don't really want to talk about it anymore. (I'm also running out of Mass Effect 3 images.)
Still, short of posting Dr. Ray Muyzka's entire response, we have condensed his letter to the main highlights:
To Mass Effect 3 players, from Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder of BioWareAs co-founder and GM of BioWare, I’m very proud of the ME3 team… So, it’s incredibly painful to receive feedback from our core fans that the game’s endings were not up to their expectations. Our first instinct is to defend our work and point to the high ratings offered by critics – but out of respect to our fans, we need to accept the criticism and feedback with humility.
…At the same time, I also believe in and support the artistic choices made by the development team. The team and I have been thinking hard about how to best address the comments on ME3’s endings from players, while still maintaining the artistic integrity of the game.
The team has been poring over everything they can find about reactions to the game – industry press, forums, Facebook, and Twitter, just to name a few… Building on their research, Exec Producer Casey Hudson and the team are hard at work on a number of game content initiatives that will help answer the questions, providing more clarity for those seeking further closure to their journey. You’ll hear more on this in April. We’re working hard to maintain the right balance between the artistic integrity of the original story while addressing the fan feedback we’ve received. This is in addition to our existing plan to continue providing new Mass Effect content and new full games, so rest assured that your journey in the Mass Effect universe can, and will, continue.
…We listen and will respond to constructive criticism, but much as we will not tolerate individual attacks on our team members, we will not support or respond to destructive commentary.
…Trust that we are doing our damndest, as always, to address your feedback. As artists, we care about our fans deeply and we appreciate your support.
Thank you for your feedback – we are listening.
Ray
The only remaining question is whether they'll provide this revised ending as free DLC. I think it's important it's an optional download, not a patch, because some players don't mind the original ending. I also hope that the cost of the DLC is low or simply free, so that it doesn't seem that we're exorbitantly paying for their admitted mistake. Let's just hope that the second ending is strong enough that I won't have to write a feature on how terrible it is.
