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BioWare

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BioWare Corp.
Company typePrivate (Subsidiary of Electronic Arts)
IndustrySoftware & Programming
FoundedEdmonton, Alberta (1995)
HeadquartersEdmonton, Alberta & Austin, Texas
Key people
Ray Muzyka, CEO
Greg Zeschuk, President
ProductsInfinity Engine
Aurora engine
Odyssey engine
Shattered Steel
Baldur's Gate series
MDK2
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 Corp. is a Canadian electronic entertainment company founded in February 1995 by medical doctors 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 also made three successful console role-playing games, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire (which were both later ported to the PC), and most recently, Mass Effect (for which the PC version released in May, 2008).

Muzyka and Zeschuk are currently the studio heads of BioWare, with Muzyka the General Manager and Chief Executive Officer and Zeschuk the General Manager and President 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 private equity fund Elevation Partners investing in the partnership. However, both companies will retain their brands and identities.

On March 13, 2006, BioWare announced that they opened a new studio in Austin, Texas headed by industry veterans Gordon Walton and Richard Vogel, which is already working on developing an MMORPG.

BioWare has announced that it is also developing Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG for the Nintendo DS and plans to release it sometime in 2008.[1]

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. [2]

On October 30, 2007, BioWare has announced it will be again be working with LucasArts on a new title. No details on the game have been confirmed as of yet.[3][4]

Games

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, 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].

References

  1. ^ BioWare: For Immediate Release
  2. ^ EA To Acquire BioWare Corp. and Pandemic Studios
  3. ^ LucasArts.com | LucasArts and BioWare Corp. to Create Ground-Breaking Interactive Entertainment Product
  4. ^ Lucasarts and Bioware To Develop Ground-Breaking Interactive Entertainment Product - Press Release
  5. ^ "Sega Announces BioWare Will Create Sonic Role Playing Game For". 2007-06-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "Nintendo DS" ignored (help)
  6. ^ BioWare: For Immediate Release
  7. ^ Mass Effect Interview
  8. ^ Lucasarts and Bioware To Develop Ground-Breaking Interactive Entertainment Product - Press Release
  9. ^ BioWare: For Immediate Release
  10. ^ BioWare: For Immediate Release
  11. ^ BioWare: For Immediate Release
  12. ^ Alberta's Top 20 employers
  13. ^ working.com
  14. ^ working.com
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