BioWare Co-Founder/Beamdog CEO Trent Oster Says He’s Running the Numbers on Saving Mass Effect and Wants the Original Band Back Together, Starting with James Ohlen

BioWare co-founder Trent Oster, who is currently CEO of Beamdog, has openly said he's running the numbers to see whether there's a way to save the closing studio's IPs, especially Mass Effect. He started hinting at it on November 4, tweeting about his desire to "get the band together":

I love seeing all the energy around #SaveMassEffect. I think there is still a great thesis for a well-funded RPG developer who can deliver. Makes me want to get some of the original band back together.

The following day, Oster discussed the challenges that would have to be overcome to fund a new Mass Effect title:

The #SaveMassEffect movement makes me wonder if there isn't some other way to build game financing that actually supports a better product instead of undermining it.

The scary component of Mass Effect is that the audience is going to want the best of “AAA” development. Rough ballpark (based on contemporaries) is $200M+. That is a big number to commit up front. There has to be a bigger plan in place for the IP to make the math work. That said, I think it can be done well for less than that amount with a disciplined approach and an experienced team.

On November 6, Oster publicly asked James Ohlen, who worked at BioWare for 22 years, whether he'd like to return on this crazy endeavor - and the answer was a thumbs up:

Oster: My first recruit would be @JamesOhlen - gotta go for the design OG. I know he’s cooking hard on his own adventure setting, but I gotta ask. James, you up for a reunion?

Ohlen: Of course! A chance to work on Dragon Age again is a dream of mine.

Ohlen is behind some of the greatest games BioWare has ever made, leading design on Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, and Dragon Age: Origins. He was also the Game Director of the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic and eventually left BioWare in 2018.

He resurfaced less than a year later to found Archetype Entertainment under Wizards of the Coast, helping devise their new Mass Effect-inspired RPG Exodus (now due on April 7, 2027) alongside other former BioWare veterans like Drew Karpyshyn, Chad Robertson, and Chris King. However, he abruptly left Archetype in January 2026, later revealing that he had suffered from a severe case of game development burnout. Has he already recovered enough to undertake such an arduous journey?

Whatever the case, Oster and anyone else who joins the attempt will need "lots of money", as the executive confirmed on X. But he did not relent; this past Saturday, he tweeted:

What are you doing this Saturday? I'm huddled in front of a computer running scenarios in Excel. I just passed rev 30. #SaveMassEffect #SaveDragonAge

On Sunday, he admitted he would welcome support from the Canadian government. After all, Beamdog is also headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, just like BioWare. It just so happens that a fresh fan petition will eventually force a response from the government, although that doesn't mean it will necessarily be the one Oster or the fans would want to hear.

Indeed, we have to be realistic. Beamdog is a small studio focused mostly on porting classics, including BioWare's MDK2, Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, and Neverwinter Nights to modern platforms with some improvements. There's no way they'd have the capital to do this unless a major third party intervened, like the government or, most likely, another investor with enough money to even try to get Electronic Arts at the table to discuss licensing or selling the IPs outright.

Still, the hope burns, especially after N7 Day showed just how much love there is for BioWare and Mass Effect.

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