In 2001, Microsoft launched the Xbox, hoping to compete in the already crowded home console market. Unlike Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft didn’t have any well-known, established game series. To stand out, the original Xbox focused on partnering with experienced developers to create new and successful games. One of these partnerships was with BioWare, the creators of popular RPGs like Baldur’s Gate. While the collaboration benefited both companies, one of the two games BioWare developed for the Xbox unfortunately didn’t reach a large audience.
BioWare and Microsoft Partnered for Two Great Xbox Games
I still remember when I first got my Xbox and discovered Knights of the Old Republic! It was around the early 2000s, and BioWare was working on a couple of games just for Xbox, but this one really stood out. They started working on their version of Star Wars back in July 2000, and it finally came out three years later. It was a massive hit – the fastest-selling game on the Xbox at the time, honestly! Over time, Knights of the Old Republic sold over 3.2 million copies, and it even led to a sequel made by Obsidian, an online spin-off game, and now they’re still working on a full remake, which is amazing!
After working on a few other things, we started working on what would become Jade Empire back in May 2001. Our co-founder, Greg Zeschuk, even called it a ‘dream project’ back in 2004 when he talked to Gamespy. See, up until then, most of our big hits – like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights – were built on existing worlds, like Dungeons & Dragons. And KOTOR was obviously set in the Star Wars universe. But Jade Empire? That was something totally new for us – a completely original world and story.
The role-playing game draws inspiration from Chinese history, particularly the Han and Ming dynasties, but the world BioWare created is completely original. While it includes aspects of Chinese mythology, Jade Empire stands on its own. BioWare also opted for a fast-paced, real-time combat system, which was a departure from their previous turn-based games. This presented a challenge as they worked to integrate their familiar, stat-driven RPG elements into the new system.
Fortunately, BioWare succeeded with Jade Empire. It’s a beautiful game with creative characters and settings. Critics generally loved it, ranking it among the best role-playing games of its time. While the combat wasn’t amazing and the game felt a bit short, that just gave players a reason to replay it as one of the six unique character classes.
As a huge BioWare fan, I always thought Jade Empire was one of their best games – and critics seemed to agree! So it’s always baffled me that not enough people have played it. It really feels like it was just released at the wrong time, which is a shame because it’s a fantastic game.
Jade Empire Should’ve Been an Xbox 360 Game
It’s important to remember that Jade Empire came out on the original Xbox, but its timing wasn’t ideal. It was released in April 2005, just a few months before the Xbox 360 launched. This put Jade Empire in a tough spot, as it’s unusual for a game released so late in a console’s lifespan to become a big success. Many believe Microsoft unintentionally set the game up to fail.
In a 2015 interview, Zeschuk explained that Jade Empire would have been a much bigger success if it had been released for the Xbox 360 instead. He believed launching with the game would have been a huge win. This makes sense – it would have given the 360 a strong role-playing game at launch, and BioWare would have had more time to refine Jade Empire.
That didn’t pan out, and Jade Empire only sold around 500,000 copies in its first year. While it wasn’t guaranteed to be a huge hit on the Xbox 360, it probably would have had a better chance of success. BioWare later found a lot of success on the console with Mass Effect, but it’s hard not to wonder what might have happened if Jade Empire had launched with the 360.
To make matters worse, fans of Jade Empire have largely been ignored by BioWare. The last significant news about a potential sequel came in a 2011 interview, where a BioWare co-founder mentioned the team loved the original game but hadn’t figured out how to make another one work. That co-founder left the studio a year later, and all that’s surfaced since then is concept art from the cancelled Jade Empire 2.
If you didn’t get a chance to play Jade Empire on Xbox, BioWare also released it for PC. While the PC version didn’t receive quite the same praise as the original, the Special Edition is still available on Steam. If you enjoy classic RPGs from BioWare, Jade Empire is definitely worth playing.
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2025-11-02 01:40