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BioWare looking for 'logical extensions' to its brands for mobile development
"We did that iOS Mass Effect Galaxy thing really early. We said, 'We should just try this and see what happens.' And we learned something from it," BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk told me in a recent interview, when asked about the company's unknown mobile plans. It seems that Zeschuk, and in turn, BioWare, is more interested in using mobile and other burgeoning platforms as testing grounds rather than a focus. "What we do a lot is we'll actually explore a platform and kinda play around with it," Zeschuk added. While he said that mobile, comprising both Android and iOS, is "definitely something we're looking at," he also noted that just one person of BioWare's hundreds of employees has been assigned to focus primarily on mobile development. That person is said to be in charge of identifying "logical extensions to what we do," but Zeschuk is quick to point out his company "haven't announced too much" in that space. He also pointed out that another branch of BioWare's parent company, EA Interactive/Mobile, could be of particular use in the case of BioWare properties on mobile devices. "That's one of the biggest benefits of being at EA. We have EA Interactive, who does tons and tons of mobile stuff," Zeschuk said. "We're always looking around. We're always sort of sharing ideas and figuring out what we're gonna do." Presumably we'll hear more whenever BioWare figures out what exactly that is, or at least whenever the company decides to announce as much. For now, we'll be wantonly hoping for a PopCap crossover, post-acquisition. We can dream, right?
Capcom and Bioware disappointed in iPhone app performance
We've heard a lot of interesting things from big companies on the App Store -- some of them have released games and apps with not a lot of success compared to more high-profile indie groups, while some seem to have nailed down a little bit of profit from Apple's platform. Capcom is apparently finding itself in that first group -- the company's latest financial reports state that it is fairly disappointed in the performance of its App Store titles. Resident Evil 4 sales have "increased gradually," while even more anticipated apps like Street Fighter IV and Phoenix Wright have only "achieved their projected sales." Which may be good news, but it's not exactly a glowing result for Capcom's App Store efforts. Meanwhile, EA's partner Bioware is licking its wounds from its first iPhone effort. Greg Zeschuk says that Mass Effect on the iPhone "wasn't even a mistake as much as we took a guess, our guess was wrong, and we learned something in the process -- that the fundamental tactile gameplay is actually the key thing on the platform." He sounds really disappointed with sales -- he says that the company originally believed a strong story could keep players interested even through fairly generic gameplay, but it turns out that iPhone gamers are more interested in the experience than the text that backs it up (not hard to see -- look at Doodle Jump, Angry Birds, or any other huge iPhone games with barely any backstory at all). It's interesting to see big companies dealing with the App Store platform, and struggling to figure out how to implement iPhone apps. I think we'll see even more experimenting on this front from even major software studios.
BioWare's Zeschuk on Mass Effect Galaxy: 'Our guess was wrong'
Some people forked over a sawbuck for Mass Effect Galaxy because they wanted to experience the backstory of characters appearing in Mass Effect 2. Some people downloaded Galaxy for the promise of in-game goods in Mass Effect 2. No matter what folks signed up for, most seem to agree that what they got could've been better -- even BioWare's Dr. Greg Zeschuk. "Oh, I think it was very worth attempting," he told Videogamer. "Even when something's not as successful as you'd like, you can take some lessons away and apply them, right? For us, that's kind of where humility comes in, to eat the humble pie on the Mass iPhone game [laughs] and go, 'Yeeeaaah, we made a big mistake,' in the sense that we thought story could carry it." He immediately corrected himself, saying that it might not have been a mistake, but "as much as we took a guess, our guess was wrong, and we learned something in the process." The lesson? That the important part of designing for iPhone is building the game around the interface. "Unless your game is utterly designed about tactile gameplay, you shouldn't release it. That was good information for us to have." Despite Galaxy's failing, Dr. Zeschuk isn't entirely willing to write off the potential of the iPhone just yet. "We'll explore stuff," Zeschuk said. "For us, it may be things that link into other games. It's the cross-platform nature of the potential platform, like an iPhone app able to somehow access one of the other games' universes, or something. That would be really cool." %Gallery-51295%
Mass Effect Galaxy patch promises 'performance boost'
An upcoming patch to Mass Effect Galaxy promises to increase performance on "lower-end devices" by an "estimated 50%," according to BioWare's official Twitter account. Released on June 22, Mass Effect Galaxy is the iPhone OS-exclusive title which details some of the backstory for characters featured in the upcoming Mass Effect 2. According to users on BioWare's official forum, the app runs at a pace similar to that of the original game's infamous elevator system (read: hella slow). BioWare promises the patch will release within the next ten days -- just enough time to finish loading the elevator sequence shown above.%Gallery-51295%
Thanks, Jacob! But your reward is in another Mass Effect!
One way to look at Mass Effect Galaxy, the newly released iPhone game tie-in, is as an interactive DLC code ($4.99) for Mass Effect 2. AppGamer.net confirms that, upon completion, Galaxy displays the following message: "Your reward for completing the game is already waiting for you in Mass Effect 2."The so-called reward is apparently transferred from Galaxy to ME2 via an EA Account (more info), but its identity remains a mystery for now -- and perhaps until you buy ME2. Our best guess is that the reward is an enhanced weapon or armor suit designed for Galaxy's main character, Jacob Taylor, who is also a companion character in ME2, and that it's an entirely negligible unlockable for all but the most obsessive completionist. The majority of reactions in the Touch Arcade forums suggest that the game itself is just as unimportant, if not downright degrading to the franchise. Proceed with caution. %Gallery-51295%[Thanks, Chris]
TUAW at E3: Mass Effect Galaxy on the iPhone
EA brought a few iPhone games to the show in Los Angeles this week -- first up, we got a look at the Mass Effect entry for the iPhone, recently titled Mass Effect Galaxy. The game takes place in the same universe as the popular console game (and its sequel), but it focuses around a separate, non-customizable hero named Jacob Taylor. And while the game was designed by Bioware, it plays very differently from the regular console versions. It's much more action-based, and while it does tell a pretty enticing story, it's much less of an RPG.While Mass Effect played as a third-person shooter, Mass Effect Galaxy actually goes with a top-down view, and takes basic aiming controls out of your hands completely. Instead, you send the main character running around the map with the accelerometer, and he aims and fires at enemies for you. Along the side edge of the touchscreen are your bionic abilities, and you can throw them in as you fight, but mostly, the game is just about navigating Jacob behind cover by tilting the accelerometer.
Mass Effect iPhone becomes Mass Effect 'Galaxy,' ties in to Mass Effect 2
Revealed via leaked survey just over a month ago, Mass Effect for the iPhone seeks to fill in the story of a couple characters appearing in upcoming sequel, Mass Effect 2. So far, the little we know from the BioWare Blog paints the picture of a game that fills in the gaps between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, following the story of Jacob Taylor.Citing the "limitations" of Apple's handheld, Mass Effect Galaxy is comprised of "a very defined beginning, a middle with three branches, and an end sequence that takes the player to the final showdown with the game's antagonist." BioWare is staying mum on more info to do with the game but hopefully we'll see more on the game this week at E3. %Gallery-51295%