Well, as of this month the deal that puts Canadian developer BioWare under EA’s control goes into effect. As a big fan of BioWare games, including Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic, I can’t help but to worry about what will happen when BioWare gets absorbed.

The Ultima series is a prime example of how EA has swallowed an RPG series whole, leaving very little for gamers to enjoy — pre-EA titles made by Origin belong in the RPG hall of fame, while games after the EA acquisition belong in a recycling plant. As EA took over, the bulk of the original creative team disappeared. (Ultima creator Richard Garriott, for example, is too busy with his MMO, Tabula Rasa, and his trip into space.)

So will BioWare and its properties suffer the same fate under EA control? EA says ‘no’, of course — they’re maintaining BioWare as an ‘independent’ branch of EA, and keeping the whole BioWare team on board. Great news, until you realize that they’ve said this before about previous acquisitions that later saw their creative teams disband.

Last week saw a little bit of encouraging news, as BioWare confirmed that they’re already working on Jade Empire 2 for the Xbox 360. They’ve also promised us two more Mass Effect titles over the next few years. Hopefully that will keep things running smoothly for a while.

I suppose all we can say is, “BioWare team, please don’t cash out on the billion-dollar deal just yet. You deserve it, of course — but you’re just too good.”

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