Earlier this month, BioWare responded to Mass Effect 3's "polarizing" ending and later confirmed that it was considering making changes. Now, BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka has confirmed that new content is in the works to provide additional closure.
In a post on the company's official site, Muzyka said that the team has been carefully following the reactions of fans and has made the decision to respond.
"I believe passionately that games are an art form, and that the power of our medium flows from our audience, who are deeply involved in how the story unfolds," Muzyka wrote, "and who have the uncontested right to provide constructive criticism. 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."
"Since the game launched, 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," he added. "The Mass Effect team, like other teams across the BioWare Label within EA, consists of passionate people who work hard for the love of creating experiences that excite and delight our fans. I'm honored to work with them because they have the courage and strength to respond to constructive feedback."
"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," Muzyka continued. "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."
He added that "the reaction to the release of Mass Effect 3 has been unprecedented. On one hand, some of our loyal fans are passionately expressing their displeasure about how their game concluded; we care about this feedback, and we're planning to directly address it."
Finally, Muzyka addressed the nature of recent fan responses, commenting that "some of the criticism that has been delivered in the heat of passion by our most ardent fans, even if founded on valid principles, such as seeking more clarity to questions or looking for more closure, for example – has unfortunately become destructive rather than constructive. 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."
Muzyka concluded by reminding fans that BioWare is listening, and that fans should "trust that we are doing our damndest, as always, to address your feedback."
Thanks to IGN