OG Xbox Exclusive Jade Empire Could Have Been ‘Another Franchise’ for BioWare if Not for ‘Moronic Advice’ From Microsoft

BioWare has built up several legendary series across its run as a game development studio, like Baldur’s Gate, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age. The lesser-known martial arts RPG Jade Empire could have made the list too, though it sounds like its chances were spoiled thanks to a rough launch window and some bad advice from Microsoft.

Over on the My Perfect Console podcast (as spotted by GamesRadar), BioWare co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk discussed one of the regrets he’d had; specifically, launching Jade Empire at the end of the original Xbox’s life cycle. The RPG hit Xbox on April 12, 2005, several months before the November 22, 2005 launch date for the Xbox 360. And according to Dr. Zeschuk, Microsoft advised BioWare to launch it then, rather than later.

“And Microsoft’s like, ‘no no, you should release it now, right at the end of the cycle, because it’s a great time,'” Dr. Zeschuk said. “It was like, the worst advice. Like, absolute moronic advice from them. It was the stupidest thing ever.”

If BioWare had pushed the project back a bit, putting Jade Empire on the Xbox 360, Dr. Zeschuk speculated that the studio could have “rezzed it up,” and had it ready to go. It might have cost some more money, but could have put Jade Empire in a better place.

“Give us six months, give us the chance to make it a launch title for the 360 and we’d have another franchise,” Dr. Zeschuk said. “And I mean, who knows where… like, I just think it would have been a way more successful product at the beginnning of a cycle, versus the end.”

Granted, the BioWare co-founder also acknowledged that the combat of Jade Empire “wasn’t as good as it could have been.” In theory, though, it would have given Microsoft an RPG closer to, or even within, the 360’s launch window. While the Xbox 360 had games like Condemned: Criminal Origins, Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3, and the immaculately titled Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, it was short on role-playing games.

The Xbox 360 would become a defining console for BioWare, especially its current era. Mass Effect and Dragon Age would both launch on the Xbox 360, eventually becoming the dual pillars of modern BioWare. Could Jade Empire have been a third? There were once rumors of a Jade Empire 2, and visions of a canceled spiritual successor to Jade Empire surfaced a few years ago.

As it is now, BioWare is in a precarious position. After layoffs and several project lead departures, Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of Electronic Arts’ expectations. The studio was restructured earlier this year, with some developers moved to other EA projects, while others were laid off.

Now, all of BioWare’s efforts are pinned on one of those aforementioned pillars: the next Mass Effect. Announced at The Game Awards 2020, we’ve seen only a few teasers in the years since. Whether Jade Empire might have offered another pillar or not, it’s still interesting to consider how an Xbox 360 launch might have changed the games’ appraisal, and BioWare’s history as a whole.

Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.