Longtime BioWare designer James Oren left the studio in July 2018 after 22 years working on games from Baldur's Gate to Anthem. His first credit was as writer and editor of the manual for Baldur's Gate 2, and he left for a second time a few months before that. He is now working with Oren again at his new studio, Archetype Entertainment.

"I am proud to announce that I am now the lead writer for Archetype Entertainment!" . Karfisin writes on his blog, "Founded by James Ohlen, the creative genius behind BioWare hits like Baldur'sGate, KOTOR, and Dragon Age, Archetype is the new video game studio under the Wizards of the Archetype is a new video game studio under the Wizards of the Coast umbrella! (Side note: I've always enjoyed working with WotC. They even published my first book!)"

He also mentioned his time at BioWare in his update, saying, "It was a dream job. Talented people worked together to create epic games like 'Baldur's Gate,' 'KOTOR,' 'Mass Effect,' and 'Dragon Age,'" he described. But as the studio grew and became more successful, he wrote, that changed.

"We became more corporate. We could no longer make what we liked, and teams were pushed to make games based on market research instead of creative instinct and passion. My dream job became just another job, and I lost the enthusiasm and excitement I once had."

Karpyshyn said that the early days of Archetype reminded him of the early days of BioWare and, quite boldly, predicted that the same would be true of the new company.

"I know there are big shoes to fill, and with BioWare, I'm part of a legacy that will last forever. We have created some of the most beloved CRPGs of the past 20 years. But I truly believe that the archetype has the talent and opportunity to create something equally amazing."

Karpyshyn is not the only BioWare alumnus joining Ohlen at Archetype: former BioWare head of live services Chad Robertson, who left the company in late 2019, is general manager of Archetype He is. The studio is currently working on a "story-driven" "multi-platform role-playing game set in a new science fiction world."