Mike Laidlaw

Last updated

Mike Laidlaw is a Canadian [1] video game developer best known for his work at BioWare as the creative director for the Dragon Age fantasy role-playing video game franchise, and the lead designer and director on the first three games. [2]

Contents

Early life

Laidlaw grew up on a dairy farm. His parents bought him a Commodore 64 when he was seven years old, and he found himself creating his own levels in Lode Runner , leading his parents to buy him a disk drive to support his passion. His favourite games before entering the game industry were Star Control II , Wasteland, and Neuromancer. [3] He later described Star Control II as his favourite game of all time. [4] Laidlaw earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Western Ontario.

Career

Laidlaw reviewed video games at The Adrenaline Vault for three years. His early career included working at Bell Canada working in their call centre, eventually leading a team before he quit. [5] Soon after, he applied for a job at BioWare after seeing an advertisement for a writing position. [3]

Mike Laidlaw joined BioWare in 2003. [6] Working on the action role-playing game Jade Empire, he was promoted to co-lead writer after one year due to his ability to organize other writers. [5] He was ultimately credited as the lead story developer and designer when it was released in 2005. [6] He then became a writer on Mass Effect. [7] Working under Drew Karpyshyn, he contributed writing to several pieces of the game, including two locations and three alien races. He briefly worked on a prototype for a sequel to Jade Empire before the project was cancelled. [5]

Laidlaw's next role was lead designer for Dragon Age: Origins . [7] The core game design had been implemented, but the writing needed improvement to make it into a viable series. [5] His work earned him a nomination for a British Academy Video Games Award for Best Story in 2010 (with BioWare cofounders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk). [7] His success on Dragon Age earned him a promotion to creative director and then senior creative director for the franchise. [7] However, Laidlaw credits other writers for coming up with the series lore and detail, including Dave Gaider and Ben Gelinas. [5] Laidlaw participated extensively in promotional efforts for Dragon Age II, where he has been interviewed about developmental information for the sequel to Origins. [8] Laidlaw was the director for an unreleased fourth entry in the Dragon Age series, code-named Joplin, before the project was cancelled to reallocate staff to Anthem's development. As the fourth Dragon Age project was rebooted under the code name Morrison, Laidlaw and several veteran Dragon Age staff decided to leave the company. [9] Laidlaw formally announced his departure on October 13, 2017. [10] Laidlaw felt this was the right time to minimize any disruptions to the development, and left the project in the hands of producer Mark Darrah. [5]

In 2018, Laidlaw joined Ubisoft Quebec as creative director on an unspecified project. He ultimately left the company in early 2020 after 14 months. [11] Later, details surfaced that Laidlaw worked on a now-cancelled project codenamed Avalon, based on the fantasy of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. The project faced conflicting visions with UbiSoft's Chief Creative Officer Serge Hascoët over the setting and themes. [12] By late 2020, Laidlaw announced he was forming a new indie game studio called Yellow Brick Games, at which he serves as chief creative officer. [13]

Related Research Articles

BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zeschuk. Since 2007, the company has been owned by American publisher Electronic Arts.

<i>Dragon Age: Origins</i> 2009 role-playing video game

Dragon Age: Origins is a role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Dragon Age franchise, and was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in November 2009, and for Mac OS X in December 2009. Set in the fictional kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil strife, the game puts the player in the role of a warrior, mage, or rogue coming from an elven, human, or dwarven background. The player character is recruited into the Grey Wardens, an ancient order that stands against monstrous forces known as "Darkspawn", and is tasked with defeating the Archdemon that commands them and ending their invasion. The game is played from a third-person perspective that can be shifted to a top-down perspective. Throughout the game, players encounter various companions, who play major roles in the game's plot and gameplay.

Michel Ancel French video game designer (born 1972)

Michel Ancel is a French video game designer. He is best known for creating the Rayman franchise and was the lead designer or director for several of the games, including Rayman Origins and its sequel Rayman Legends. He is also known for the cult hit video game Beyond Good & Evil and for King Kong, based on Peter Jackson's film King Kong, which was critically acclaimed. In 2017 he began work on Beyond Good and Evil 2.

James Ohlen is a video game designer. He was Senior Creative Director of BioWare where he worked for 22 years prior to starting the publishing company Arcanum Worlds in 2018. In 2019, Ohlen became the lead of a new internal development studio Archetype Entertainment under Wizards of the Coast to develop new intellectual property and video games for the company.

Dragon Age is a media franchise centered around a series of fantasy role-playing video games created and developed by BioWare, which have seen releases on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The franchise takes place on the fictional continent Thedas, and follows the experiences of its various inhabitants.

Ubisoft Quebec Canadian video game development company

Ubisoft Quebec is a Canadian video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Quebec City. The studio was established in June 2005 and is best known for its work in the Assassin's Creed franchise.

Casey Hudson is a Canadian video game developer, known for his work on several of BioWare's video games, and mainly the Mass Effect trilogy as game director.

<i>Dragon Age II</i> A 2011 action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts (EA)

Dragon Age II is a 2011 action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts (EA). It is the second major game in the Dragon Age series and the successor to Dragon Age: Origins (2009). Set in the world of Thedas, players assume the role of Hawke, a human mage, rogue, or warrior who arrives in the city of Kirkwall as a lowly refugee, and becomes its legendary champion over a turbulent decade of political and social conflict. In the game, players explore and engage in combat from a third-person perspective. Players encounter various companions, who play major roles in the game's plot and gameplay. Depending on players' decisions and dialogue, a companion will either recognize Hawke as a friend or a rival.

David Gaider Canadian writer and game designer

David Gaider is a Canadian Narrative Designer and writer. He was the lead writer and creator of the setting for the role-playing video game series Dragon Age.

<i>Dragon Age: Inquisition</i> 2014 video game

Dragon Age: Inquisition is a 2014 action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The third major game in the Dragon Age franchise, Inquisition is the sequel to Dragon Age II (2011). The story follows a player character known as the Inquisitor on a journey to settle the civil unrest in the continent of Thedas and close a mysterious tear in the sky called the "Breach", which is unleashing dangerous demons upon the world. Dragon Age: Inquisition's gameplay is similar to its predecessors, although it consists of several semi-open worlds for players to explore. Players control the Inquisitor or their companions mainly from a third-person perspective, although a traditional role-playing game top-down camera angle is also available.

Alistair (<i>Dragon Age</i>)

Alistair is a fictional character from BioWare's Dragon Age franchise, first appearing as a companion and party member in Origins. Alistair is the first full companion the player gets if they don't choose the Human Noble origin, and is a fellow Grey Warden alongside the player character. Over the course of the game, Alistair is revealed to be the heir to Ferelden's throne, and may be installed as king.

Leliana

Leliana is a fictional character from BioWare's Dragon Age media franchise, first appearing as a party member in the 2009 role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins. A bard who is originally from the nation of Orlais, she came to Ferelden prior to the events of the Dragon Age series. Following the events of Leliana's Song, a DLC pack which serves as a prequel to the base game, she encounters the surviving Grey Wardens of Ferelden in the town of Lothering, and accompanies them to stop the monstrous Darkspawn from overrunning the world of Thedas. Leliana has appeared as a supporting character in subsequent video game sequels to Origins as well as other expanded media. She is voiced by French actress Corinne Kempa.

Alexis Kennedy is a British video game writer, designer and entrepreneur. His video game work includes Fallen London, Sunless Sea and Cultist Simulator. He co-founded Weather Factory, an independent game studio in London in 2017. Kennedy founded Failbetter Games in 2009, where he worked as its chief narrative officer and creative lead until 2016.

<i>Anthem</i> (video game) 2019 video game

Anthem is an online multiplayer action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 22, 2019.

Morrigan (<i>Dragon Age</i>)

Morrigan is a fictional character from BioWare's Dragon Age franchise, first appearing as a party member in Dragon Age: Origins. She is a shapeshifting Witch of the Wilds, one of several sorceresses whose legends originate in the Korcari Wilds region of the kingdom of Ferelden, the setting of Origins. Morrigan leaves her home to accompany the protagonist of Origins, the would-be Hero of Ferelden, at the request of her mother Flemeth to stop the monstrous Darkspawn from overrunning the world of Thedas. Morrigan also appears in Dragon Age: Inquisition as a supporting character. She is voiced by Claudia Black.

<i>Dragon Age: Inquisition – Jaws of Hakkon</i>

Dragon Age: Inquisition – Jaws of Hakkon is a downloadable content (DLC) pack developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for the 2014 action role-playing video game Dragon Age: Inquisition. It was initially released for Xbox One and Microsoft Windows through Electronic Arts' digital distribution platform Origin, on March 24, 2015, and for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox 360 on May 26, 2015. The pack follows the Inquisition's exploration of the Frostback Basin, an overgrown wilderness area populated by Avvar barbarian tribes and the site of an ancient Tevinter fortress, to determine the fate of the last Inquisitor and the powerful dragon he hunted.

Dragon Age 4 is an upcoming role-playing video game in development by BioWare that is to be published by Electronic Arts. It is to be the fourth main game in the Dragon Age franchise.

<i>Dragon Age: Inquisition – Trespasser</i>

Dragon Age: Inquisition – Trespasser is a downloadable content (DLC) pack developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts for the 2014 action role-playing video game Dragon Age: Inquisition. It was released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows through Electronic Arts' digital distribution platform Origin, on September 8, 2015. The pack follows members of the Inquisition as they uncover a conspiracy to invade southern Thedas, while at the same time being confronted over their relevancy as an organization two years after a cataclysmic series of events which unfolded in Inquisition. As the Inquisition works to undermine a secret invasion by the Qunari, its leadership will eventually have to decide whether the organization itself should continue to exist.

Jennifer Brandes Hepler is a video game developer, author, and scriptwriter. She is known for her time at Edmonton, Alberta-located game developer BioWare where she worked as a senior writer for eight years, with much of her work centered on the Dragon Age fantasy role-playing video game franchise. Hepler's notable work after she left BioWare in 2013 include the mobile strategy video game Game of Thrones Ascent, and the 2018 point-and-click adventure game Unavowed.

References

  1. ↑ Mike Laidlaw [@Mike_Laidlaw] (12 February 2021). "Would anyone more familiar with editing than I am be willing to change that top-line summary to "Canadian" instead of American?" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 12 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021– via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Good, Owen S. (1 February 2020). "Dragon Age creator Mike Laidlaw departs Ubisoft after just a year". Polygon. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  3. 1 2 Sainsbury, Matt (2015). Game Art: Art from 40 Video Games and Interviews with Their Creators. No Starch Press. ISBN   978-1-59327-665-2.
  4. ↑ Marcon, Erin (20 November 2014). "Interview: BioWare on Dragon Age: Inquisition". The Black Panel. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Yin-Poole, Wesley (25 May 2018). "Being the boss of Dragon Age". Eurogamer. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  6. 1 2 McWhertor, Michael (12 October 2017). "Dragon Age creative director leaves BioWare". Polygon. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "BioWare senior creative director Mike Laidlaw announces his departure". VentureBeat. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Boxer, Steve. "Bioware's Mike Laidlaw talks narrative and games as art". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Schreier, Jason. "The Past And Present Of Dragon Age 4". Kotaku. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  10. ↑ O'Connor, Alice (13 October 2017). "Dragon Age lead designer Mike Laidlaw leaves BioWare". Rock, Paper, Shotgun . Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  11. ↑ Wales, Matt (31 January 2020). "Dragon Age creator Mike Laidlaw announces departure from Ubisoft Quebec". Eurogamer. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  12. ↑ Chan, Stephanie (28 July 2020). "Ubisoft's Planned King Arthur Game Was Nixed by Ex-Creative Head". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  13. ↑ "Bioware and Ubisoft veterans create Yellow Brick Games". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.