David Gaider, lead writer of Dragon Age, revealed that for years BioWare housed an intense creative rivalry between two teams - the DA developers and ME creators. He described how the groups operated under such fundamentally different paradigms that it felt like two separate studios sharing one roof:

These were essentially two completely different offices with diametrically opposed approaches to game design.

The conflict intensified through creative ego - each team firmly believed their franchise objectively surpassed the "competition". While EA management recognized the issue, they declined to intervene, which Gaider attributes to Mass Effect's status as the corporate golden child. The ironic twist? Dragon Age consistently outsold its sci-fi counterpart, fueling bitter professional resentment.

Gaider's transfer to Anthem exposed the rift's depth - his concepts were automatically dismissed as "too Dragon Age" by the Mass Effect-indoctrinated team. This became one of the key reasons for his departure from the studio in 2016 after a 17-year career. He now helms Summerfall Studios, creators of the recent musical RPG Stray Gods.

Main image: reddit.com

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