Hello everyone!
I'm really excited to share a new one with you today, but first, as most of you probably do not know who I am, I'll start by introducing myself.
I was born not far from Montreal and, without wanting to bore you with the details, I had the chance to grow up in an environment where video games were part of my daily life. The passion I had for them has led me to get a degree in computer science and my work in this area should later lead me to Edmonton, Alberta. At the time, I was playing regular games tabletop roleplaying with my friends until the day we made the transition to their PC versions and played Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, and Neverwinter Nights. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the company that developed was close to home!
A few years later, in January 2006, I finally had the chance to join my favorite game company! From the beginning, I was assigned to the franchise Mass Effect, the first chapter was the beginning of production, as chief director of development. I worked closely with Casey and the rest of the team leading the project, and for the duration of ME1 and ME2 first half of the project, when BioWare decided to open a new studio in Montreal. I was obviously very flattered when I was asked to take the lead, and after completing my tasks in Edmonton, I returned to live in Montreal in the summer of 2009 when we were there to establish a small team.
Because BioWare has always believed that corporate culture is a key ingredient of the games we develop, we used two important strategies to build our team. First, we created a core team from the transfer of several members of the team in Edmonton. Second, we have chosen to grow at a relatively slow pace, ensuring that newcomers have the time to integrate our culture. Despite this context of controlled growth, the Montreal studio was able to contribute significantly to the franchise Mass Effect. We began by developing about half of kinematic ME2 then tackle the majority of missions and N7 eventually play an important role in the development of many produced content after the game's launch Subsequently, for ME3, we took responsibility for the multiplayer portion while continuing to contribute significantly to the solo mode. More recently, we have developed a large loadable module which will be launched on November 27 and you know the name of Omega. With each new assignment, our responsibilities are becoming increasingly large and we always continued to work in conjunction with Casey, the management team of Mass Effect, and developers to Edmonton.
Following this development, we are now ready to take the next step and announce that the next Mass Effect game is already in development and that the Montreal team that now holds the reins. This represents the achievement of a goal that was set several years ago and it is with a mixture of pride, excitement and humility that each member of the team is working to take his new responsibilities.
To ensure that the transfer of the franchise to Montreal takes place in the best possible conditions, we continue to receive support from the Edmonton studio throughout the project, collaborating and learning from them on some important initiatives. In addition, Casey will remain executive producer of the game, but it will be represented in Montreal by a project manager who will be responsible for leading the development team and make creative decisions on a daily basis. Mass Effect franchise is very important to us and our decisions are based on what is best for the game
I can not really tell you much about the game at this time, if not it will be based on the incredible technology of Frostbite engine, which the team of Dragon Age III has already spent a lot of time systems integrate many games for which our securities are recognized.
The other thing I can tell you is that even if we make sure to develop the next game in full compliance with the legacy established by the first three chapters, now that the original trilogy is complete and we make the transition to a new game engine, we have the opportunity to explore new directions, both from the point of view of the history of game mechanics you can still expect the next game meets the key previous games, including many alien races, a huge galaxy to explore and, of course, a rich and cinematic narrative.
Now that the heart of our team is in place, the next step for us is to ensure that the studio BioWare Montreal accelerates its growth in the coming year to build a team to support quite impressive production a game that we in fact believe, will be a great addition to the franchise. If you or someone you know is interested in joining our team, be sure to check our jobs . We are always looking for talented and passionate people, but it is more true now than ever!
We look forward to telling you more about this upcoming game Mass Effect, but it probably will not for a good little while. We know that your expectations are very high deductible and want to make sure when we'll show you something that will live up to your expectations.
Thank you for your interest and passion,
Yanick
Studio Director - BioWare Montreal
Originally Posted by Dant3 
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