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BioWare

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BioWare
Company typeSubsidiary (of Electronic Arts)
IndustrySoftware & Programming
FoundedEdmonton, Alberta (1995)
HeadquartersEdmonton, Alberta & Austin, Texas & Montreal, Quebec
Key people
Casey Hudson, Director
Drew Karpyshyn, Writer
Ray Muzyka, CEO
Greg Zeschuk, Vice-President
ProductsInfinity Engine
Aurora engine
Odyssey engine
Shattered Steel
Baldur's Gate series
MDK2
Sonic Chronicles
Neverwinter Nights
Star Wars: KotOR
Jade Empire
Mass Effect
(See complete products listing.)
RevenuePrivate (in 2003 was Increase$17.482 million CAD)
Number of employees
~500 (2008)
ParentElectronic Arts
Websitewww.bioware.com

BioWare is a Canadian electronic entertainment company founded in February 1995 by Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. It is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. BioWare specializes in creating computer and console video games and has become famous for highly praised and successful computer role-playing games such as Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights, which won multiple awards. They have also made 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.

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.

Company history

In November 2005, it was announced that BioWare and Pandemic Studios (itself founded by former Activision employees) would be joining forces, with 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 which is based on Knights of the Old Republic. [4]

On March 2, 2008 BioWare announced it had opened a new studio in Montreal, Quebec.

Games

File:Bioware-1995.PNG
An old Bioware logo

Third party games using BioWare engines

Engines

BioWare created the Infinity Engine, which was used as a 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 RPGs 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 gameplay and storytelling, with thousands of amateur and professional modules available on various web sites; 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.

After years of working with licensed content, particularly from the D&D world, BioWare began efforts to develop their own original, independent universes and franchises. Jade Empire was a step in this direction, as are their current projects: the PC RPG Dragon Age and Mass Effect for Xbox 360 and PC, using the third version of the Unreal Engine.

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.

Awards

In addition to numerous game awards, the company has been awarded with a number of business related awards:

The full list of awards can be found on their web site [1].

See also

References

  1. ^ EA To Acquire BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios
  2. ^ LucasArts.com | LucasArts and BioWare Corp. to Create Ground-Breaking Interactive Entertainment Product
  3. ^ Lucasarts and Bioware To Develop Ground-Breaking Interactive Entertainment Product - Press Release
  4. ^ Star Wars: The Old Republic website
  5. ^ E3 2008: Knights of the Old Republic MMO on the way
  6. ^ Mass Effect Interview
  7. ^ "Calgary Herald, "Alberta's top 40 places to work", October 18, 2008".
  8. ^ "Edmonton Journal, "Alberta's best focus on attracting, keeping staff", October 31, 2008".
  9. ^ "Reasons for Selection, 2009 Alberta's Top Employers competition".
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