BioWare Co-Founder Reflects on Regrettable Xbox Advice That Undoubtedly Hindered a Franchise’s Potential

During the era of the original Xbox, BioWare gifted us with a new title in the form of Jade Empire, but it unfortunately launched just a few months before the Xbox 360 – which may have ultimately hindered its chances for a sequel.

This is the belief of BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk, who expressed his thoughts on the My Excellent Console podcast recently (thanks to GamesRadar), where he stated that Xbox was responsible for offering “utterly foolish advice” about launching Jade Empire at the end of the original generation instead of waiting to make it a launch title for the Xbox 360.

Here’s a glimpse of what he had to say:

“Microsoft said ‘no no, you should release it now, right at the end of the cycle, because it’s a perfect time’… it was the worst advice, truly ridiculous advice from them, the most foolish thing ever.”

Ultimately, Zeschuk feels that his team could have “revved it up” and prepared the game for the Xbox 360 instead, noting that it “would have been a far more successful product at the start of a cycle than at the end.”

This, however, is not what transpired. Even though Jade Empire was well-received by fans, it did not perform well enough to warrant a sequel. Thankfully, it remains playable to this day – it’s backwards compatible on current consoles!

Do you believe Jade Empire should have been postponed until the Xbox 360? Share your thoughts below.