[Column] General: A BioWare Without 'The Doctors'

MikeB

Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk founded BioWare in 1995, but we've recently learned that the studio will have to go on without them. Today, we're discussing the doctors' departure and what it could mean for BioWare going forward.

Before we get into that, let’s take a trip down memory lane. BioWare was founded during a decline in the popularity of western RPGs. In fact, it was at this time that Japanese RPGs were really coming to the forefront. Heck, I was nearly oblivious to the western RPG at the time and found myself fully absorbed into the JRPG revolution. The western RPG was set for resurgence in the late 90’s, however, and BioWare’s contribution to said resurgence with their first RPG, Baldur’s Gate, was nothing short of monumental. Baldur’s Gate set the standard for other AD&D based RPGs to follow, such as Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment. And for me, personally? It was where the PC RPG started altogether.

Read more of Michael Bitton's A BioWare Without 'The Doctors'.

lavosslayer

I think it sucks they are leaving, but I'm optimistic that there is a possibility that Bioware has learned its lesson and is cleaning house to get back on track. Unfortunately when there are consecutive release issues like DA2 , ME3 and SWTOR had, the guys at the top usually pay for it. Only time will tell how much of an effect this will truly have!

Harbinger1975

I loved BioWare with all my heart.  Thier games made you feel so invested.  Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins, KOTOR, NWN2, all beautiful.  Mass Effect 2 was ok.  But it showed with Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 3, and SWTOR that EA has poisoned and is now killing yet another company.

I hate to say this, and this is my own personal opinion, I speak for no one else here at MMORPG.com, but to me, BioWare is now officially dead.  Destroyed like Westwood Studios was destroyed.  Thank you, EA, you greedy bastards.  You just killed another company for your lust of money.  Go burn in hell.

laserit

RIP Bioware

It's not surprising that they are leaving. When you sell a company, you lose control of said company. You dont get to make the decision's any more. The company moves in a direction that you dont agree with. As time goes by you get tired and disenfranchised and then if your smart, you move on.

Life is too short.

ShakyMo

Bioware is just a branding ea slap on a bunch of their studios.

Expect ea to try and buy out someone else with a simmilar good will brand to the pre ea bioware, then slap that brand all over their products / studios.

ShakyMo

Origin, bullfrog, maxim, westwood, mythic, bioware.

Ea - where good studios go to die

Dauzqul

BioWare makes single-player games. Why was it a shock to eveyrone when SWTOR ended up being a single-player game with "co'op" mode? While EA is both annoying and greedy, I personally blame BioWare.

I was part of the community since 2008. I browsed the forums every day and saw what kind of daily threads were being posted. Every thread that requested multiplayer features such player driven content, gigantic worlds, deep crafting, deep customization, world housing, and world pvp etc were quickly shot down by the trolls (GO BACK TO SWG ***).

*sigh*

Enjoy your SPRPG. Don't expect to make a successful MMO without player-driven content. We've all played WoW and we're all sick of it.

Scot

How many of the gaming entrepreneurs who started RPG’s are left? We now have a soulless corporate industry sucking what cash it can out of players. The originality of approach and directional verve have all but gone.

Who is next on EA’s hit list? Soon there won’t even be any big name independents. Bioware is just a trademark EA puts on some of its software. I don’t even think the name of Bioware will exist beyond 2013, unless marketing come up with an old Bioware game they think they can squeeze some money out of a sequel.

Shame to see such great pioneers go, I am guessing it was in their contracts to stay with Bioware up to a certain point after EA took over. That way the acquisition looked less like it would bring negative change.

WhiteLantern

Originally posted by mmoDAD

BioWare makes single-player games.

This again?!?

Retort: Blizzard made single-player games before making WoW. The guys that made UO made single-player games before UO.

BW attempted to branch out and made an MMO they thought everyone would love. They were wrong, but not because "they make single-player games".

 

gravesworn

Always lamenting when the hearts of creators get devoured by corperations. While I think they wanted to make money when bioware sold to EA, I do not think they had this desired effect. It probably bothers these two that they have been forever tarnished.

WereLlama

Blaim Bioware for selling out, not EA.

Ozmodan

What EA touches, EA turns to crap.  Amazing they manage to stay in business.

MumboJumbo

As soon as the originals sell-out, that's when the studio usually finishes. Tbh, best idea is to sell out and start up an indie firm which just needs the talent and experience and portfollio: Go on Kickstarter with the next project, then dev then deliver on a digital distribution = much better model than the traditional one. Plus a nice sabbatical on the cash from selling out the original IPs (which mostly ran their course anyway).

possessed1

Games are just following the movie industry. Movies are less about story and more about marketability and profit -- reaching as wide a market as possible and maiximizing money gained, story be damned. Given that gaming has now surpassed movies in proft, we are going to be seeing more and more of  this with games too. EA is/has been doing this and it's only gonna get worse. But as there is independant film, there's also independant game-makers (so long as they don't get swallowed up by the big boys...)

Wicoa

What do you think it all means for the future of BioWare? There is no future of bioware the chief helms of the ship have gone.  Its a part of the EA armada now.

Bioware no longer exists.

Kost

Originally posted by BlitzVF
Blaim Bioware for selling out, not EA.

Right, blame Bioware for wanting to take the company in a positive direction and then being stuck between a rock and a hard place after the direction they wanted to take didn't mesh with the direction EA wanted them to take.

That makes perfect sense.

Creslin321

I can't say I'm surprised that they left.  After I read that EA had branded like eight of their (likely shovelware) studios "Bioware," including a studio that makes social games, I knew that the Bioware brand was about to die.

On some level, I think that the founders of Bioware have to be a little upset that the company name they spent years developing into something great is now going to be used to trick players into buying shovelware.

TruthXHurts

Check out those moobs!

Kaelano1

It means they know stuff coming out from bioware in the near future is going to suck. Say "hello" to Ultima Forever.

Kaelano1

Incidentally, the forum link on the Ultima Forever page of mmorpg.com is broken. It re-directs to the game list in a seemingly sublimal message to "look for another game".

BillMurphy

Originally posted by Kaelano1
Incidentally, the forum link on the Ultima Forever page of mmorpg.com is broken. It re-directs to the game list in a seemingly sublimal message to "look for another game".

Thanks, we'll fix!

MikeB

Fixed!

ZigZags

This is GREAT news since Bioware hasn't made a good game since....since....I cant even remember the last good game they made. I may even remove them from my boycott list but we'll see.

Dauzqul

Originally posted by WhiteLantern

Originally posted by mmoDAD

BioWare makes single-player games.

This again?!?

Retort: Blizzard made single-player games before making WoW. The guys that made UO made single-player games before UO.

BW attempted to branch out and made an MMO they thought everyone would love. They were wrong, but not because "they make single-player games".

 

SWTOR feels too much like their SINGLE PLAYER KOTOR GAMES.

The game is so linear and story-driven that it gives no room for depth or complexity. It's SINGLE PLAYER... from a company that makes SINGLE PLAYER ROLE PLAYING GAMES.

Grixxitt

The doctors in question will likely come back to the industry as soon as the no-compete clause expires on the Bioware sale contract.

ShakyMo

Ozmodan:

Yeah ea is the brown fingered midas of pc gaming