Former BioWare lead designer James Ohlen will be heading a new studio under Wizards of the Coast. Wizards is most famously known for developing and publishing Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.
Ohlen’s CV at BioWare is a pretty impressive one, having spanned over 22 years during his spell there.
His previous works at BioWare included the Baldur’s Gate classic RPG series, which he recently wrote and developed a tabletop D&D adventure module for, Jade Empire, Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age: Origins and Knights of the Old Republic.
“I didn’t think that I would be coming back to the game industry so soon but working with Wizards is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Ohlen with regards to working with WotC. “Our mutual love of RPGs, world-building, and interactive storytelling is a perfect match.”
While no news about what exactly the new studio led by Ohlen will be designing, he has confirmed it has nothing to do with regards to either the D&D or Baldur’s Gate IPs, despite WotC being famed for both.
Prior to joining Wizards, Ohlen recently managed to fully fund a Kickstarter project of a new D&D adventure supplement, Odyssey of the Dragon Lords. So far, the project amassed over US$200,000 — four times the initial goal of US$50,000.
Marion has a serious RPG addiction. Sometimes it bleeds into real life; he forgets to sleep because he thinks he has a Witcher’s body clock. Forgive him in advance if he suddenly blurts out terms such as “Mind Flayer” and “Magic Missile”, because never once does he stop thinking about his next Dungeons & Dragons game.
Kaylyn Lim
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