Former Halo and Assassin's Creed artist Nicolas 'Sparth' Bouvier has revealed that he served as the art director for the Mass Effect franchise until BioWare's closure.
BioWare announced last week that it is closing down, months after EA was acquired by private investors and effectively said out loud that cuts were on the way.
On top of the studio's closure, the Mass Effect 5 project in development at the studio was canceled. This was later revealed to be Mass Effect Universe as a leaked trailer made its way to the web shortly after the announcement, which in turn caused even more fan outcry, as the trailer looked to be cooking up something promising.
In a thread on Twitter, Bouvier – who was a senior artist on the original Assassin's Creed, as well as the 343-era Halo games – says "in light of last week’s news about BioWare’s closure," he was choosing now to reveal that "from April until last week, I was the art director of the Mass Effect franchise." He adds, "It was a privilege to work alongside such a talented team, with the shared ambition of exploring new creative territories while staying true to the legacy and spirit of the Mass Effect trilogy."
"Knowing that this work will never see the light of day is truly heartbreaking," Bouvier continues, saying, "We were good at this. We really were. I'm thinking about the team, the talent, what we could have achieved."
He adds, "In nearly 30 years in this industry, I've rarely seen a group so tightly knit, so experienced, and so good at working together," before concluding that he is "honored to have been part of it."
