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BioWare Founders Retiring!


Merin

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They sound as if they're leaving videogames entirely. Or at least Ray does. The fact that they announce together implies, to me, that they're finding another joint venture. Who knows?

 

Anyway, best of luck to them.

"Show me a man who "plays fair" and I'll show you a very talented cheater."
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They aren't working on anything together. Ray is going off into social entrepenaurship, and Greg will be focused on drinking, brewing, and interviewing brewers of beer. Ray is done with making games, but says they will remain a treasured hobby. Greg says it will be some time before he's involved in games again, and that he possibly won't return.

 

...

 

The join announcement. It's just... I don't know.

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I'm a huge fan of both BioWare and Obsidian and it hurts me when I see things like this happen. This is what I felt like:

 

 

This is a sad evening for me. Ray and Greg, you will be missed dearly by me and many other fans. Despite this, I really wish both of you guys all the best in whatever you've come up as your next endeavors, I hope they really turn out great. :)

 

Having said that, I can't help but notice people are already mourning the death of BioWare and seeing the long arm of EA behind it all. I will try my best to be unbiased while writing this, but I have to tell you this:

 

People at BioWare, it's up to you to maintain the reputation that your great name has deserved over the almost two decades of its existence. It's up to you to carry on with the tradition that has brought us, your fans, some of the best video games ever created. It's up to you to live up to the expectations of the people who have become your fans because of titles such as Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, Neverwinter Nights, KOTOR, Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

 

And most of all, it's up to you to prove wrong everyone who is now talking about the death of BioWare or the EA conspiracy. It's up to you to regain the faith of those people who have stopped believing in you and are now saying that BioWare is long dead.

 

It depends on you and on nobody else. Just like we, as fans and players of your games, have had to take the responsibility to save the world or the known universe from evil, corruption and destruction, now it is your turn to take the responsibility for accomplisihing an even greater goal.

 

Your quest now is to save BioWare. We, as your fans, are your allies and can provide help and advice, but ultimately the fate of BioWare is in your hands.

 

Sincerely,

A fan

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All the way back in April huh? I guess the reception of ME3 finally cracked them. Can't blame them for wanting to move on if so.

If that really is the case - and I do admit it very much looks like it - they could have avoided that very well by exercising greater oversight over the project and lobbying for a later release date with EA. After the lacklustre response to DA II this should have been the prudent course.
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Ok guys lets rewind a year back. Who would've predicted that Josh, Tim and Chris would start a kickstarter-project for their dream-game and the Bioware founders quitting simultaniously? You would've been laughed at, that's for sure.

"Some men see things as they are and say why?"
"I dream things that never were and say why not?"
- George Bernard Shaw

"Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man."
- Friedrich Nietzsche

 

"The amount of energy necessary to refute bull**** is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it."

- Some guy 

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On that other side.. it's about 5 years this October that Bioware was picked up by EA wasn't it? Has that timing of potential contract issues?

 

<lurks suspiciously> Quick, let us all start positing the assorting Evil Conspiracy Theories regarding EA now... :shifty:

"Cuius testiculos habeas, habeas cardia et cerebellum."

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Good luck, sweet princes, in your future endeavours - espciially drinking. Wether it was being 'forced out', tired of the industry drama, or it was just time, it's all irreleevant.

 

This is now Bioware Part 3. Let's see what's up!!

DWARVES IN PROJECT ETERNITY = VOLOURN HAS PLEDGED $250.

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Conspiracy theory: Well...something happened. Coincidence??? Either the docs got fired or they both got fed up with EA. Looks like part of their severance includes a non-compete clause as they aren't coming back to the industry for some time.

"Things are funny...are comedic, because they mix the real with the absurd." - Buzz Aldrin.

"P-O-T-A-T-O-E" - Dan Quayle

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I'm a huge fan of both BioWare and Obsidian and it hurts me when I see things like this happen. This is what I felt like:

 

 

This is a sad evening for me. Ray and Greg, you will be missed dearly by me and many other fans. Despite this, I really wish both of you guys all the best in whatever you've come up as your next endeavors, I hope they really turn out great. :)

 

Having said that, I can't help but notice people are already mourning the death of BioWare and seeing the long arm of EA behind it all. I will try my best to be unbiased while writing this, but I have to tell you this:

 

People at BioWare, it's up to you to maintain the reputation that your great name has deserved over the almost two decades of its existence. It's up to you to carry on with the tradition that has brought us, your fans, some of the best video games ever created. It's up to you to live up to the expectations of the people who have become your fans because of titles such as Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, Neverwinter Nights, KOTOR, Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

 

And most of all, it's up to you to prove wrong everyone who is now talking about the death of BioWare or the EA conspiracy. It's up to you to regain the faith of those people who have stopped believing in you and are now saying that BioWare is long dead.

 

It depends on you and on nobody else. Just like we, as fans and players of your games, have had to take the responsibility to save the world or the known universe from evil, corruption and destruction, now it is your turn to take the responsibility for accomplisihing an even greater goal.

 

Your quest now is to save BioWare. We, as your fans, are your allies and can provide help and advice, but ultimately the fate of BioWare is in your hands.

 

Sincerely,

A fan

 

Well that was a good laugh, does seem like the usual stuff from BSN.

Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

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Ok guys lets rewind a year back. Who would've predicted that Josh, Tim and Chris would start a kickstarter-project for their dream-game and the Bioware founders quitting simultaniously? You would've been laughed at, that's for sure.

I wouldn't have objected on the Bioware founders leaving.

 

I certainly would have laughed at Project Eternity. Glad I was proven wrong :)

My thoughts on how character powers and urgency could be implemented:

http://forums.obsidi...nse-of-urgency/

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They are multi millionaires and they already sold their company. I'm sure this was their plan from the start. They were always about the marketing, anyway.

"My hovercraft is full of eels!" - Hungarian tourist
I am Dan Quayle of the Romans.
I want to tattoo a map of the Netherlands on my nether lands.
Heja Sverige!!
Everyone should cuffawkle more.
The wrench is your friend. :bat:

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Note: our Computer and Console games forum also has this being discussed in the RANDOM VIDEOGAMES NEWS thread.

 

Kinda sad that they're leaving... wonder how that'll effect the corporate culture.

Victor of the 5 year fan fic competition!

 

Kevin Butler will awesome your face off.

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Moved to C&C.

"My hovercraft is full of eels!" - Hungarian tourist
I am Dan Quayle of the Romans.
I want to tattoo a map of the Netherlands on my nether lands.
Heja Sverige!!
Everyone should cuffawkle more.
The wrench is your friend. :bat:

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Note: our Computer and Console games forum also has this being discussed in the RANDOM VIDEOGAMES NEWS thread.

 

Kinda sad that they're leaving... wonder how that'll effect the corporate culture.

I'm certain that them leaving will have little effect, since their presence in projects has been diminished in the projects since the EA acquisition. My guess is that they were bogged down in the politics ever since then and were just biding their time as figureheads until they could retire.

This is pure speculation, though.

I'd say the answer to that question is kind of like the answer to "who's the sucker in this poker game?"*

 

*If you can't tell, it's you. ;)

village_idiot.gif

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I'm certain that them leaving will have little effect, since their presence in projects has been diminished in the projects since the EA acquisition. My guess is that they were bogged down in the politics ever since then and were just biding their time as figureheads until they could retire.

This is pure speculation, though.

 

Speaking of speculation, I actually wonder if them leaving will open the door for EA to basically completely change the games BioWare develops. I know folks have been on BioWare (myself included) for their recent releases seeming more streamlined, or "EA'd" if you will. But at the same time, how much of what remained in those games (ie. whatever RPG elements or non-streamlined features) were a direct result of Muzyka and/or Zeschuk fighting on BioWare's behalf?

 

Maybe I'm overestimating how much impact they had with the direction BioWare, under EA, was taking. But I just wonder if now that there's no "high ranking" folks at the top levels of EA that have ties to BioWare, will EA now shift its entire focus to whatever games they want to see churned out, with absolutely nothing of the former "BioWare" in them?

"Console exclusive is such a harsh word." - Darque

"Console exclusive is two words Darque." - Nartwak (in response to Darque's observation)

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