Ohlen said the most fun he's ever had in the industry was working on Baldur's Gate back in the late '90s. He said he's been a D&D fanatic since he was a kid and that it's time to be part of it again. In his tweets, Ohlen linked to his new project, which describes itself as a "a publishing venture formed by a small group of passionate veterans from the video games industry." For his first book with the new company called Odyssey of the Dragonlords, he's working with fellow SW:TOR designer Jesse Sky.

While his departure will surely be a loss to BioWare, it seems fitting that he's leaving the company for a D&D-related reason. According to GameInformer, the developer's founders, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, first heard of him, because he ran two legendary D&D campaigns with lengthy waiting lists.

After 22 years I have retired from BioWare. I've loved my time with Anthem, Star Wars, Dragon Age and Dungeons and Dragons. But I need to take a break from the industry and work on something a little smaller and more personal. — James Ohlen (@JamesOhlen) July 12, 2018

The most fun I've ever had at BioWare was as the lead designer on Baldur's Gate 1+2 and NWN. I've been a D&D fanatic since I was 10 years old and I want to be a part of it again. Please visit https://t.co/412NLtStkx to see what I'm talking about. — James Ohlen (@JamesOhlen) July 12, 2018

The first book I'm working on is called Odyssey of the Dragonlords. I'm working on it with another former Creative Director from BioWare - Jesse Sky. Plus a mystery writer that I've worked with before 😉 https://t.co/uhUqy4Y6rf — James Ohlen (@JamesOhlen) July 12, 2018

ffff