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BioWare: Mac version of Star Wars: The Old Republic is something it's 'looking at next'
BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are quite dedicated to their fans. At least that's a recurring theme for them when talking about their company's moves in new directions, to which both repeatedly referred during a recent interview in midtown Manhattan. "We know there's a big Mac audience of BioWare fans ... we know that's an important and large audience. And we want to serve that audience," Muzyka told me when asked about a potential Mac version of the his company's latest major release, Star Wars: The Old Republic. "I'd say 'not yet,'" Zeschuk assured me when I told him that, as a BioWare fan, I'm unable to play The Old Republic on my less than two-year-old MacBook. Though Muzyka was quick to remind me that I can technically play the game on a Windows partition, he also admitted that it wasn't an ideal situation. "We've done a lot of Mac ports before of our games. We haven't announced any details yet for The Old Republic, but we know that's an important and large audience." Neither would offer a strict timetable on the Mac version, but Zeschuk did note, "That's definitely one of the things we're looking at next. We want to get this launch under our belt and everything stabilized and happy, and then we'll look at other platforms, and that's obviously one of the first ones."
BioWare's docs: Free-to-play can't invest and create at our level
If BioWare's not in a war against the free-to-play business model, it certainly is skirmishing with the notion that F2P is the only way to go. In speaking with our sister site Joystiq, BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk defended the traditional subscription model by saying that it not only works but allows dev teams to achieve games on a larger scale. Zeschuk mentioned that it was simply a case of the right business model for the right game: "I'm not saying it's better or worse. It just doesn't supplant the other things. 'Cause we can do some things no one else can. The free-to-play people can't invest to the level we can invest, and can't create something of the size and scale of something we can create." Even with its love of the subscription model for Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare is open to free-to-play where it sees fit. Muzyka dropped a tantalizing hint as to the company's F2P aspirations: "We have some other stuff we haven't announced yet coming from our play-for-free team that I'm really excited about. It's gonna bring back some IP that people have a lot of fond memories around."
BioWare docs defend subscription model, tease free-to-play iteration of classic IP
Understandably, BioWare heads Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk seem tired of beating the drum for Star Wars: The Old Republic's subscription-based business model. I didn't actually bother asking them about their thoughts on subscription vs free-to-play gaming during an interview early last week, but Zeschuk launched into a spirited defense nonetheless, perhaps conditioned by being asked over and over in the run up to SW: TOR's launch last Monday. "You look at the online space in general and it's fragmenting into all these different areas, but the core still works. The subscription model still works," Zeschuk said. "We know a lot of people say, 'Oh, everything's just going free-to-play.' But that's just one slice. There's one slice that's free-to-play, there's one slice that's social, there's traditional subscription still going." He was also quick to point out that, "it's obviously been the free-to-play guys trumpeting this," though his own company certainly isn't above working in the free-to-play space, as evidenced by Warhammer: Wrath of Heroes. "I'm not saying it's better or worse. It just doesn't supplant the other things. 'Cause we can do some things no one else can," Zeschuk added. In his eyes, a free-to-play dev isn't able to throw the same amount of resources and time at an MMO project, and that marks a big differentiation between the two business models. "The free-to-play people can't invest to the level we can invest, and can't create something of the size and scale of something we can create," he said. The idea that free-to-play will take over all other MMO business models, he said is, "from a business perspective, ridiculous."
BioWare docs explain how to stay true to your roots while expanding massively
With eight (eight!) studios around the globe as of the end of 2011, BioWare label heads Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk have kind of a lot going on at any given time. When I spoke with them earlier this week at Times Square's NASDAQ building, though, they were remarkably calm after ringing the financial institution's opening bell (surrounded by and emblazoned in Star Wars accoutrement), and launching the six-years-in-development Star Wars: The Old Republic. Beyond the aforementioned accomplishments, the doctors' division of EA has been rapidly expanding -- over just the last six months, BioWare has added a Sacramento office, a San Francisco office, and an Ireland office, to say nothing of "BioWare Victory," the studio heading up Command & Conquer: Generals 2. That's a whole lot of people (501 - 1000, approximately, according to LinkedIn)! How do two guys that started out with eight people in a studio apartment manage that kind of expansion without diluting the original values they began with? BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka offered an explanation by way of example: "You're seeing how we're doing that in The Old Republic. We're merging story in in a really seamless way. It doesn't feel tacked on or added, it's actually there from the ground floor. It's actually adding to the experience and increasing that emotional engagement, which, you go back to our vision, that's what it's all about. Building that emotional engagement." The concept of "emotional engagement" was one that both Muzyka and his long-time business partner Dr. Greg Zeschuk touched on repeatedly during the interview. Muzyka called it a "pillar" of the label's vision, but also emphasized that story -- BioWare's traditional method for engaging players on an emotional level -- isn't the only way to evoke an emotional response from players.
EA-BioWare acquires KlickNation, rebrands it BioWare Social
All the cool kids are into social gaming these days, so it should come as no surprise when some of the bigger gaming firms start testing the waters. BioWare looks to be next on that list according to a report at GamesIndustry.biz that details Electronic Arts' acquisition of KlickNation. KlickNation operates social games including SuperHero City and Six Gun Galaxy, and while the company's monthly active user base has declined from 1.3 million to 400,000, EA and BioWare see it as a growth opportunity. KlickNation's expertise in building innovative and compelling RPGs for social platforms makes them a seamless tuck-in with the BioWare team at EA," says Ray Muzyka. The new unit has been renamed BioWare Social, and thus far the company has not announced any concrete plans relating to new or existing titles.
Hyperspace Beacon: Freedom
I was taken aback by BioWare's lifting of the NDA on Star Wars: The Old Republic last Friday. Few of us saw that coming. I highly suspect that wasn't when the devs originally intended to drop the NDA. I mean, really, when media sites were allowed to produce videos and livestream, there was bound to be some confusion. Perhaps BioWare couldn't contain all of it. Even on my end it was very confusing; there were weird stipulations on the embargo because BioWare didn't want parts of the story completely ruined. That's one of the reasons I kept my stream as simple as I could. However, now the gloves are off. SWTOR enthusiasts can write about anything they want. Unfortunately, unlike other people who can talk about the game now, I have only been back in beta for two weeks, and the characters I played previously have been wiped. I am happy to tell you that I have a Sith Warrior and Sith Inquisitor on Dromund Kaas and Smuggler on Nar Shaddaa with a peppering of other characters on various other planets. I have PvPed alongside one of the best PvPers I've ever met, and I have plenty to talk about in the coming weeks until launch. Beyond the break, I want to share with you my plan for the next three weeks until launch, and then when I'm done, I'd like to take your suggestions. As a teaser, I've added a few screenshots into the gallery below, pics of places my Smuggler has been over the last couple of weeks. I haven't labeled them, so maybe you can guess where he's been.%Gallery-139964%
BioWare says gamers find it hard to go back to other MMOs after playing SWTOR
As Star Wars: The Old Republic's release date looms larger on the calendar, BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are starting to be seen with increasing frequency on the PR circuit. The latest sighting comes courtesy of The Gaming Liberty, and the dynamic doctor duo offers up some interesting commentary on SWTOR and the logic behind setting up BioWare's new customer service center in Ireland rather than Canada or the U.S. There's a "fair, reasonable tax and regulatory structure the government here [in Ireland] has provided for us which creates an entrepreneurial environment [...] which is a big bonus," Muzyka explains. The interview also touches on lore inspirations for both The Old Republic and the classic single-player Knights of the Old Republic RPG, as well as the team's confidence in its new massively multiplayer product. "One of the most common things we're already hearing is that people seem to find it hard to go back to other MMOs once they play The Old Republic," Muzyka said.
BioWare founders: We make the decisions, not EA
BioWare has a message for critical fans who blame the company's perceived inadequacies on its corporate overlords at Electronic Arts. "I always chuckle because we are EA, we're BioWare -- we're both, and we still have huge autonomy in terms of what we do," co-founder Greg Zeschuk recently told Eurogamer. Zeschuk and partner Ray Muzyka cover a lot of ground during the sit-down, and the docs indicate that they still play BioWare's games despite delegating day-to-day development duties to various project leads. "Most of our games, before we ship them, we finish them several times. The Old Republic, we're probably at that level or higher, in terms of hours," Zeschuk says. Times have changed though, as both men acknowledge that today's BioWare is not the same company that made Neverwinter Nights or MDK2. "Way, way back, years ago, we didn't even consider those [commercial elements], we just made stuff," Zeschuk explains.
BioWare open to the possibility of a Mass Effect MMO
If you've been among the vocal crowds demanding that BioWare stop fiddling around with that "Star Wars thing" and get on a Mass Effect MMO as soon as possible, today might be your day of vindication. It turns out that BioWare's co-founders are very much open to the possibility of an online edition of its popular Mass Effect franchise. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk recently fielded the ever-popular question in a much more upbeat tone than ever before. Zeschuk says the studio will evaluate a potential Mass Effect MMO in the near future: "You never know. I think once The Old Republic is done, we'll take a fresh look at the market." "We're focused very much on The Old Republic, Mass Effect 3 and Wrath of Heroes, and all the other things we've announced, and haven't announced, but we also have the opportunity to look at our franchises in a way we haven't ever before. There are lots of new platforms and lots of new business models," Muzyka added. Mass Effect: The MMO is one of those speculative rumors that seems to never die. Analysts have predicted that such an MMO could top Star Wars: The Old Republic's numbers.
BioWare's Doctors: 'We have an aggressive post-launch plan'
With the question of "When will Star Wars: The Old Republic ever launch?" finally answered, inquiring minds have turned to the future of the as-of-yet unreleased MMO. In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, BioWare's Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk covered many topics, including the studio's plans following December 20th. "We have a really aggressive plan post launch to build content and take the feedback to heart that we're getting from players and what they want for continued expansions, and use that feedback to build new content," Muzyka promised. The conversation also included a probing question about the decision to limit initial sales of the game. Muzyka says that stability and service are high priorities in the company: "You have to build the infrastructure to support a certain size launch and we're also thinking really long term at Bioware EA for this, there are going to be many, many consumers coming to the game over time and we're going to be expanding it out." Other topics covered include the funny exploits that players have discovered in beta, the challenges and joys of working on the Star Wars IP, and the issue of free-to-play business models versus subscriptions. In regards to the latter, Zeschuck isn't worried that SWTOR decided to go the sub route. "The trend for free-to-play doesn't supplant great top quality premium games that support a subscription," he said, while going on to laud the flexibility of F2P formats.
'BioWare Ireland' opens as 400-person customer service center ... in Ireland
Following up its tax incentive-fueled studio opening in Austin, Texas, EA this morning revealed the opening of a new customer service center in business friendly Galway, Ireland. When fully staffed, "BioWare Ireland" will task approximately 400 employees with making this year's big BioWare release go as smoothly as possible, employing customer service agents primarily. Star Wars: The Old Republic is set to launch December 20 in North America, and December 22 in Europe, so the service center is opening just in time for business. During a speech at the grand opening, BioWare co-head Ray Muzyka called out to potential employees across all parts of Europe to join BioWare's Ireland team. "We've got a solid base of people here already in Galway ... we're looking for more. From Ireland ... from the rest of Europe to support our German and French customers ... from all over the world. We want you to join us here at BioWare Ireland." Muzyka was no doubt trying to fill out the studio's current staff of 200, which is expected to double at full capacity. BioWare's Galway service center marks the first installation the company will operate outside of North America.
'Irrational Interviews' pairs Ken Levine with the BioWare docs on latest episode
When we tipped you in the past about Irrational Games' ongoing series of podcasts, dubbed "Irrational Interviews," we may not have been emphatic enough about becoming an ongoing listener. To date, not a single episode has been less than interesting, and this week's episode with the BioWare doctors goes far beyond that all-too-general adjective. The trio cover everything from their disparate, non-game industry backgrounds, to the myriad difficulties involved in growing a studio, to the requisite "where is the industry going" conversation (unfortunately, even these folks don't know for sure). And clocking in at around half an hour, you can easily fit it in while your significant other watches another episode of the Jersey Shore. [Image credit: Flickr user 'richcz3']
Muzyka: BioWare to throw previous Dragon Age games into a blender for next title
Dragon Age 3 is going to blend the best features of Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2, BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka told PC Gamer at Gamescom. After Dragon Age 2's inconclusive, varied review scores, BioWare is focused on making all fans, core and new, happy: "What we need to do as developers is take that feedback from both sets of fans to heart and see about marrying that in future games in the Dragon Age franchise. I think that the team has actually got a great plan," Muzyka said. We're on board as long as that plan doesn't involve throwing raspberries into the blender -- a raspberry and chain mail smoothie may sound good, but it is a bad idea. Trust us on this one.
BioWare 'figuring out the right way' to continue Mass Effect after ME3
Speaking with business giant Forbes, BioWare founders/doctors Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka spoke on the possibility of life after Mass Effect 3, saying that ME3's universe of diverse alien races and planets has struck a chord with the series' audience. While their priorities and resources are currently focused on "nailing it" with ME3, the doctors maintain that possibilities in the future are wide open. "We do have a desire to continue the Mass Effect franchise," said Muzyka, "and we're working on the details, figuring out what the fans want, figuring out the right way." Given the amount of codex text the series has generated over the years, we don't doubt that there are still stories left to tell in the ME universe.
Mass Effect 3 gets Kinect support with voice recognition
Mass Effect 3 will allow you to choose whether various characters live or die, BioWare announced this morning during Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference. CEO Ray Muzyka took to the stage to reveal the added functionality -- rumored just this past week -- detailing the functionality as voice commands for various effect. Choosing whether characters live or die (by voice) and ordering around your squad around the battlefield were both shown off, though it's possible more features will be added before the game's planned early 2012 launch. We're not exactly sure why Kinect is required for this functionality where an Xbox 360 headset would work (a la Ruse), but it sure is neat being able to command someone's death with nothing more than the sound of our voice.
Interview with BioWare's Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk details studio philosophy and more
BioWare holds a reputation in the gaming community for consistently releasing polished, high-quality games, especially when it comes to in-depth narratives. Have you ever wondered about the studio's philosophy in regard to game creation? Ever wondered what it is that drives BioWare, and moreover -- since this is Massively, after all -- how it influences the ongoing development of Star Wars: The Old Republic? In a rather lengthy interview with Gamasutra, BioWare's Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk give gamers a peek behind the curtain at what really makes BioWare tick. There's a plethora of interesting information in the interview, ranging from the company's philosophy of imbuing each game with emotion -- leading to the strong narratives for which BioWare is so renowned -- to the qualities Ray and Greg think will separate The Old Republic from the elephant in the room that is World of Warcraft. The interview itself is far too lengthy to adequately summarize in the length of a news post, but one point that stands out is that, despite being an absolute powerhouse in the gaming industry, BioWare still focuses heavily on humility. Being able to admit when mistakes have been made and learning from the experience is something that many studios could certainly learn from. For the full, information-packed interview, head on over to Gamasutra.
What's in a Name: BioWare
It's time for the BioWare: Origins name story. At DICE 2011, we had the opportunity to ask Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk how their studio got its name: Dr. Ray Muzyka: "The three founders, Greg, myself and [Augustine Yip] our third partner, we were all medical doctors by training, so it was a tongue-in-cheek reference to us being medical doctors. It was also a reference to software for humans. The original logo had the BioWare name and then a robot hand and human hand, the idea of a machine and human interface. ... We thought it was a memorable name and it was free [for use], as well. The idea of the medical reference was quite popular, it's continually come back up over the past couple decades, so in that sense it was a pretty good name, I guess." Dr. Greg Zeschuk: "I think it was that and the software for humans concept. We're making software for people: Bio. Ware. ... We wanted something interesting, cool, memorable. I think the medical piece was the big thing, but also the interface concept." Muzyka: "We dropped the two hands as part of the logo. Our early business cards had it ..." Zeschuk: "... and T-shirts. Collector's T-shirts." BioWare will launch Dragon Age 2 in March and The Old Republic sometime in 2011. Like this feature? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name Archives.
AIAS Hall of Fame 'Game Changers' confess pro mistakes
Kicking off DICE 2011, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences invited Hall of Fame "game changers" to speak on a variety of topics, moderated by New York Times writer Seth Schiesel. Things got introspective when the panel discussed design decisions they wish they could take back, or a plan that didn't work out as well as they thought it would. BioWare's Dr. Greg Zeschuk, who will be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame this year with business partner Dr. Ray Muzyka, said that about 10 or 12 years ago he made a pitch video for Five Fingers of Death. It was going to be a kung-fu game set in the Baldur's Gate universe. Cutscenes would have have been too expensive to produce, so Zeschuk spent several weeks re-dubbing old kung-fu movies using his own voice. When the tape went out he recalls several companies laughed them off. If anyone happens to have a copy of that tape, there are several video upload sites we'd be more than happy to recommend.
The "big bet": EA aims at a half-million subscribers to make SWTOR profitable
"It's a big bet, but it's the right kind of bet to make for EA." These are the words of BioWare's Ray Muzyka, responding to a conference call to EA investors in which the company admitted that Star Wars: The Old Republic will need to pull in at least 500,000 subscribers to become profitable. This is substantially less than the two million subscriber mark that industry analysts previously predicted. During the conference call, EA CEO John Riccitiello drew a line in the sand between financial failure and victory for The Old Republic: "At half a million subscribers, the game is substantially profitable, but it's not the sort of thing we would write home about. Anything north of one million subscribers is a very profitable business. Essentially it turns on a dime from being quite sharply negative in terms of its EPS [Earnings Per Share] impact to positive the day the product ships. So it's our view that we can be very successful without fundamentally challenging the market leader [World of Warcraft] because we think we'll probably hit the smaller competitors harder when we get out there. Of course, we have no particular ambition to be a distant number two. Our ambitions are higher than that, but we throttle back a little bit relative to our financial projections." While Riccitiello admitted that the title has seen "significant development costs," he claims that costs proposed by the public are far higher than the actual costs of The Old Republic's development. He declined to share the actual costs or the number of staff working on the game. EA also announced that The Old Republic's release date will be in calendar 2011. BioWare has as recently as this January targeted a spring 2011 release. EA's estimate puts its launch somewhere between March 31st and December 31st of this year.
AIAS Hall of Famers delivering 2011 D.I.C.E. Summit keynote
So, you've only got a few hours set aside this year with which to absorb illumination from some of the gaming industry's smartest folks? You won't find a more efficient way to satisfy your needs than the 2011 D.I.C.E. Summit keynote panel, which will feature the shared wisdom of a number of Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Famers from years past. (And years current!) Presenters include Blizzard president Mike Morhaime, Grandfather of the RTS genre Bruce Shelley, Cerny Games president Mike Cerny and BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk. If you can make it to the panel on the evening of February 9, we're pretty sure that you'll possess all the knowledge you'll need to create the industry's next big game. At the very least, you'll have some inspiration for some awesome last names for said game's characters.
