BioWare
From Mass Effect Wiki
BioWare is a Canadian electronic entertainment company founded in February 1995 by Dr. Ray Muzyka, Dr. Greg Zeschuk, and Dr. Augustine Yip, all of whom left medicine to found the company. It is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. BioWare specializes in creating computer and console video games and has become famous for highly successful computer role-playing games such as Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, which won multiple awards. They have also mades several successful console role-playing games: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, and most recently, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. The former three games were later adapted for the PC. BioWare maintained a limited oversight on Obsidian Entertainment's development of Neverwinter Nights 2 and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.
Muzyka and Zeschuk are currently the studio heads of BioWare, with Muzyka the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer and Zeschuk the Vice-President, Development Operations of BioWare; Yip left in early 1997 to return to medicine.
In November 2005, it was announced that BioWare and Pandemic Studios (itself founded by former Activision employees) would be joining forces, with a private equity fund Elevation Partners investing in the partnership. However, both companies would retain their brands and identities.
On March 13, 2006, Bioware announced that they had opened a new studio in Austin, Texas headed by industry veterans Gordon Walton and Richard Vogel, and were already working on developing an MMORPG.
On October 11, 2007, it was announced that VG Holding Corp, the owners of BioWare and Pandemic Studios, would be acquired by Electronic Arts as of January 2008. [1]
On October 30, 2007, BioWare announced it has again been working with LucasArts on a new title. [2][3] On October 21, 2008, the two companies revealed that they are developing Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is based on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. [4]
On March 2, 2008, BioWare announced it had opened a new studio in Montreal, Quebec.
Contents |
[edit] Games
- Shattered Steel (1996)
- Baldur's Gate (1999)
- Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (1999)
- MDK2 (2000)
- Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000)
- Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal (2001)
- Neverwinter Nights (2002)
- Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide (2003)
- Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark (2003)
- Neverwinter Nights: Kingmaker (2005)
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003)
- Jade Empire (2005)
- Mass Effect (2007)
- Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008)
- Dragon Age: Origins (in-development)(announced for 2009)
- Mass Effect 2 (in-development)
- Mass Effect 3 (pre-development)
- Star Wars: The Old Republic[5] (in-development)
- Untitled Next Gen[6] (in-development)
[edit] Engines
BioWare created the Infinity Engine, which was used as the core component for development of 2D computer role-playing games based on Dungeons & Dragons, such as Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. For their game Neverwinter Nights, launched in 2002, BioWare developed the Aurora Engine, the basis for a number of successful computer and console 3D RPG's thereafter.
Neverwinter Nights shipped with a number of tools allowing users to create their own role-playing adventures for single and multiplayer online. The tools, using the Aurora Engine, have been adapted to many forms of storytelling, with thousands of amateur and professional modules available on various websites; some released for sale as premium content. Neverwinter Nights was a pioneering example of user-created game content commercially supported and distributed over the internet.
The Odyssey Engine was developed for the PC and Xbox game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic which was based on the Aurora Engine. BioWare is currently developing the Eclipse Engine for the game Dragon Age: Origins.
[edit] Third party games using BioWare engines
- Planescape: Torment (1999)
- Icewind Dale (2000)
- Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter (2001)
- Icewind Dale: Trials of the Luremaster (2001)
- Icewind Dale II (2002)
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (2004)
- Neverwinter Nights 2 (2006)
- Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer (2007)
- The Witcher (2007)
- Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir (2008)
- Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate (2009)
- The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf (2009)
[edit] Awards
In addition to numerous game awards, the company haas been awarded with a number of business related awards:
- Profit 100 - Canada's Fastest Growing Companies 2005 (Rank 81)
- In October 2008, Bioware was named one of Alberta's Top Employers by Mediacorp Canada Inc., which was announced by the Calgary Herald[7] and the Edmonton Journal.[8][9]
The full list of awards can be found on their web site www.bioware.com.
[edit] References
- ↑ EA To Aquire BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios
- ↑ LucasArts.com | LucasArts and BioWare Corp. to Create Ground-Breaking interactive Entertainment Product
- ↑ Lucasarts and Bioware To Develop Ground-Breaking Interactive Entertainment Product - Press Release
- ↑ Star Wars: The Old Republic website
- ↑ E3 2008: Knights of the Old Republic MMO on the way
- ↑ Mass Effect Interview
- ↑ Herald, "Alberta's top 40 places to work", October 18, 2008
- ↑ Journal, "Alberta's best focus on attracting, keeping staff", October 31, 2008
- ↑ for Selection, 2009 Alberta's Top Employers competition
