Tag Archive for BioWare

BioWare seeking Mass Effect 3 multiplayer feedback

11/04/2013

BioWare has launched a new Mass Effect 3 survey asking the community to weigh in on the game’s multiplayer component. The survey gauges feedback regarding layout, difficulty, and overall atmosphere for nineteen Firebase maps.


The survey is open for one week.

Mass Effect 3 was the first entry in BioWare’s spacebound role-playing game series to include a multiplayer component after the original Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 were single-player-only affairs.

BioWare last year confirmed it is working on a new Mass Effect game, but has only revealed a handful of vague details about the title, described as “fresh and new.”

The untitled game is powered by the Frostbite 3 engine and will not feature original Mass Effect trilogy hero Commander Shepard.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioware-seeking-mass-effect-3-multiplayer-feedback-6406811

BioWare co-founder says PS4 and 720 stuck in a ‘sick market for old-school gaming’

11/04/2013

Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founder of Mass Effect developer BioWare, has spoken about the upcoming next generation of video game consoles, saying that he doesn’t “think they’re going to be that big a deal.”


“We are in a kind of sick market for old-school gaming,” opened Zeschuk in an interview with GamesIndustry International.

“Everyone’s kind of holding out hope for the new consoles, but I honestly don’t think they’re going to be that big a deal. I worry a lot that unless Microsoft or Sony pull something magically out of a hat, it’s pretty much the same old, same old repackaged and I don’t think they’re going to change the dynamic of the retail market.”

“I don’t see how they can,” added Zeschuk. “The market is what it is.”

Sony announced the PlayStation 4 in February ahead of a launch later in 2013. Microsoft has yet to unveil the successor to the Xbox 360, although the latest rumours suggest the company is leaning toward a May unveiling.

Despite his gloomy forecast, Zeschuk said that successes were possible in the industry, pointing to Activision Blizzard as an example of a large publisher currently succeeding in AAA development. “Activision and Blizzard have been doing really well, and they’ve been very disciplined and focused,” he said.

“But how long can they continue?” said Zeschuk. “They’ve been relying on a smaller number of titles, but no title works forever, and obviously they will be working hard to replace the games they’re working on. So they’re probably one of the shining examples of a company that’s done well by really doubling down on a very narrow amount of things, and trying some different stuff – I’m actually really impressed with Skylanders.”

Speaking earlier in the interview, Zeschuk also dismissed the idea that BioWare had to conform to the whims of EA. “The best analogy I use, in a positive way, is EA gives you enough rope to hang yourself. It was really interesting because we really made all the choices we wanted to make ourselves; these are all things we wanted to try. And that’s something to remember – while we were independent we didn’t have quite the resources we had as part of EA, and then we got to EA and it was like, ‘Wow, we can do all this stuff.’ We had to be really thoughtful about what we wanted to focus on.”

Zeschuk, and fellow BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka, retired from the studio and the games industry in September 2012. When asked if he would ever return to the games industry, Zeschuk said that he doesn’t see himself creating a new development studio.

“I think part of it, too, is that I’m not spending as much time playing games as I used to. I used to play them all time. I used to have my finger on the pulse, and absolutely I’m less on the pulse than I was. I still play some big releases, and I’m going to grab BioShock Infinite, but I don’t play the way I used to play.”

Zeschuk’s comments were made as part of a larger discussion about whether Star Wars: The Old Republic had a part to play in the recent resignation of former EA CEO John Riccitiello. “I can’t really speak to why John’s not there anymore,” said Zeschuk, “but [The Old Republic] was one of many [EA] games released, and we’re in a context where just a few days later it was Yoichi Wada who was booted out from Square Enix.”

Greg Zeschuk is currently working on passion project The Beer Diaries, a site dedicated to craft beers.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioware-co-founder-says-ps4-and-720-stuck-in-a-sick-market-for-old-school-gaming-6406692

BioWare cofounder says PS4 and 720 stuck in a ‘sick market for old-school gaming’

10/04/2013

Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founder of Mass Effect developer BioWare, has spoken about the upcoming next generation of video game consoles, saying that he doesn’t “think they’re going to be that big a deal.”


“We are in a kind of sick market for old-school gaming,” opened Zeschuk in an interview with GamesIndustry International.

“Everyone’s kind of holding out hope for the new consoles, but I honestly don’t think they’re going to be that big a deal. I worry a lot that unless Microsoft or Sony pull something magically out of a hat, it’s pretty much the same old, same old repackaged and I don’t think they’re going to change the dynamic of the retail market.”

“I don’t see how they can,” added Zeschuk. “The market is what it is.”

Sony announced the PlayStation 4 in February ahead of a launch later in 2013. Microsoft has yet to unveil the successor to the Xbox 360, although the latest rumours suggest the company is leaning toward a May unveiling.

Despite his gloomy forecast, Zeschuk said that successes were possible in the industry, pointing to Activision Blizzard as an example of a large publisher currently succeeding in AAA development. “Activision and Blizzard have been doing really well, and they’ve been very disciplined and focused,” he said.

“But how long can they continue?” said Zeschuk. “They’ve been relying on a smaller number of titles, but no title works forever, and obviously they will be working hard to replace the games they’re working on. So they’re probably one of the shining examples of a company that’s done well by really doubling down on a very narrow amount of things, and trying some different stuff – I’m actually really impressed with Skylanders.”

Speaking earlier in the interview, Zeschuk also dismissed the idea that BioWare had to conform to the whims of EA. “The best analogy I use, in a positive way, is EA gives you enough rope to hang yourself. It was really interesting because we really made all the choices we wanted to make ourselves; these are all things we wanted to try. And that’s something to remember – while we were independent we didn’t have quite the resources we had as part of EA, and then we got to EA and it was like, ‘Wow, we can do all this stuff.’ We had to be really thoughtful about what we wanted to focus on.”

Zeschuk, and fellow BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka, retired from the studio and the games industry in September 2012. When asked if he would ever return to the games industry, Zeschuk said that he doesn’t see himself creating a new development studio.

“I think part of it, too, is that I’m not spending as much time playing games as I used to. I used to play them all time. I used to have my finger on the pulse, and absolutely I’m less on the pulse than I was. I still play some big releases, and I’m going to grab BioShock Infinite, but I don’t play the way I used to play.”

Zeschuk’s comments were made as part of a larger discussion about whether Star Wars: The Old Republic had a part to play in the recent resignation of former EA CEO John Riccitiello. “I can’t really speak to why John’s not there anymore,” said Zeschuk, “but [The Old Republic] was one of many [EA] games released, and we’re in a context where just a few days later it was Yoichi Wada who was booted out from Square Enix.”

Greg Zeschuk is currently working on passion project The Beer Diaries, a site dedicated to craft beers.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioware-co-founder-says-ps4-and-720-stuck-in-a-sick-market-for-old-school-gaming-6406692

BioWare co-founder says PS4 and 720 stuck in a "sick market for old-school gaming"

10/04/2013

Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founder of Mass Effect developer BioWare, has spoken about the upcoming next-generation of video game consoles, saying that he doesn’t “think they’re going to be that big a deal.”


“We are in a kind of sick market for old-school gaming,” opened Zeschuk in an interview with GamesIndustry International.

“Everyone’s kind of holding out hope for the new consoles, but I honestly don’t think they’re going to be that big a deal. I worry a lot that unless Microsoft or Sony pull something magically out of a hat, it’s pretty much the same old, same old repackaged and I don’t think they’re going to change the dynamic of the retail market.”

“I don’t see how they can,” added Zeschuk, “the market is what it is.”

Sony announced the PlayStation 4 in February ahead of a launch later in 2013. Microsoft has yet to unveil the successor to the Xbox 360, although the latest rumours suggest the company is leaning toward a May unveiling.

Despite his gloomy forecast, Zeshuck said that successes were possible in the industry, pointing to Activision Blizzard as an example of a large publisher currently succeeding in AAA development. “Activision and Blizzard have been doing really well, and they’ve been very disciplined and focused,” he said.

“But how long can they continue?” said Zeshuck. “They’ve been relying on a smaller number of titles, but no title works forever, and obviously they will be working hard to replace the games they’re working on. So they’re probably one of the shining examples of company that’s done well by really doubling down on a very narrow amount of things, and trying some different stuff – I’m actually really impressed with Skylanders.”

Speaking earlier in the interview, Zeshuck also dismissed the idea that BioWare had to conform to the whims of EA. “The best analogy I use, in a positive way, is EA gives you enough rope to hang yourself. It was really interesting because we really made all the choices we wanted to make ourselves; these are all things we wanted to try. And that’s something to remember – while we were independent we didn’t have quite the resources we had as part of EA, and then we got to EA and it was like ‘wow we can do all this stuff.’ We had to be really thoughtful about what we wanted to focus on.”

Zeschuk, and fellow BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka, retired from the studio and the games industry in September 2012. When asked if he would ever return to the games industry, Zeschuk said that he doesn’t see himself creating a new development studio.

“I think part of it, too, is that I’m not spending as much time playing games as I used to. I used to play them all time, I used to have my finger on the pulse, and absolutely I’m less on the pulse than I was. I still play some big releases, and I’m going to grab BioShock Infinite, but I don’t play the way I used to play.”

Zeshuck’s comments were made as part of a larger discussion about whether Star Wars: The Old Republic had a part to play in the recent resignation of former EA CEO John Riccitiello. “I can’t really speak to why John’s not there anymore,” said Zeshuck, “but [The Old Republic] was one of many [EA] games released, and we’re in a context where just a few days later it was Yoichi Wada who was booted out from Square Enix.”

Greg Zeshuck is currently working on passion project The Beer Diaries, a site dedicated to craft beers.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioware-co-founder-says-ps4-and-720-stuck-in-a-sick-market-for-old-school-gaming-6406692

BioWare: Next-gen leap ‘won’t be as obvious’

26/02/2013

Gamers expecting the upcoming console transition to usher in a new leap in graphical fidelity may want to pare back their excitement. BioWare art director Neil Thompson told OXM that new platforms will feature beefed-up graphics, but not on the same level as the past transition.


“For the next generation there will be a big leap, but it won’t be as obvious,” Thompson said. “People will do things in a cleverer fashion–and I have to be careful here as there are non-disclosure agreements involved.”

According to Thompson, it all comes down to economics. He said the last technology iteration “caught folks by surprise, especially the number of people you needed and the skillset jump that was required to do the work that people expected.”

“In the last generation the perception was that it was going to be a ten times improvement over the previous generation.”

This led to ballooned budgets, he said, noting that if this were to happen again, games could become economically unviable.

“I think they’ll be better prepared, shall we say–but we can’t see a ten-fold team increase again as the budgets would just be ridiculous,” Thompson said. “You’d have to sell 20-30 million copies before you broke even.”

Sony last week announced the PlayStation 4, and Microsoft is rumored to reveal its next-generation Xbox at a one-off event in either March or April.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioware-next-gen-leap-wont-be-as-obvious-6404405

BioWare: next-gen leap ‘won’t be as obvious’

26/02/2013

Gamers expecting the upcoming console transition to usher in a new leap in graphical fidelity may want to pare back their excitement. BioWare art director Neil Thompson told OXM that new platforms will feature beefed-up graphics, but not on the same level as the past transition.


“For the next generation there will be a big leap, but it won’t be as obvious,” Thompson said. “People will do things in a cleverer fashion–and I have to be careful here as there are non-disclosure agreements involved.”

According to Thompson, it all comes down to economics. He said the last technology iteration “caught folks by surprise, especially the number of people you needed and the skillset jump that was required to do the work that people expected.”

“In the last generation the perception was that it was going to be a ten times improvement over the previous generation.”

This led to ballooned budgets, he said, noting that if this were to happen again, games could become economically unviable.

“I think they’ll be better prepared, shall we say–but we can’t see a ten-fold team increase again as the budgets would just be ridiculous,” Thompson said. “You’d have to sell 20-30 million copies before you broke even.”

Sony last week announced the PlayStation 4, and Microsoft is rumored to reveal its next-generation Xbox at a one-off event in either March or April.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioware-next-gen-leap-wont-be-as-obvious-6404405

Sex in video games talk at GDC

15/02/2013

BioWare senior writer David Gaider will lead a discussion called Sex in Video Games next month at the 2013 Game Developers Conference, organizers have announced.


Gaider, who has worked at BioWare since 1999 and is currently lead writer on Dragon Age III: Inquisition, will discuss the issues of sexism and sexuality in contemporary games.

“Games have reached the point where realistic portrayals of sex and adult relationships are possible, but what does this mean to us as developers?,” reads a line from the discussion description. “How much responsibility do we have in addressing issues of sexism and sexuality, and are we inadvertently making statements about what is acceptable, even when we don’t mean to say anything at all?”

Gaider will speak about the “risks and challenges” associated with addressing (or not addressing) sexism and sexuality in games. Attendees will also hear Gaider speak about the benefits of inclusiveness during the discussion.

Other notable 2013 GDC presentations include one from Bungie Studios, which will open up on the creative process for its all-new universe with Activision called Destiny; and another from Hideo Kojima, who will give a public demo of his new FOX Engine and discuss Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.

The 2013 GDC comes to San Francisco, California March 25-29. Microsoft is rumored to announce the Xbox 720 around the same time.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/sex-in-video-games-talk-at-gdc-6403983

Mass Effect 3 DLC news next week?

14/02/2013

BioWare will finally reveal details on the next Mass Effect 3 expansion “hopefully” next week, community developer Chris Priestly wrote on Twitter recently (via OXM).


“We’ll reveal details as soon as the team is comfortable it is locked and complete. Hopefully next week,” Priestly said.

BioWare last month released two new “teaser” images believed to be for upcoming Mass Effect 3 downloadable content. The content is rumored to be a significant expansion.

In December, BioWare teased the next single-player expansion for Mass Effect 3, saying it will be “all hands on deck for this one.” Additionally, Mass Effect chief composer Sam Hulick has revealed he will contribute to the new content after no involvement with the game’s Leviathan and Omega DLC.

Also set to make a return for the mystery content is film and voice actor Seth Green (Family Guy, Austin Powers). Green has performed the voice of Normandy pilot Joker since the series first took flight.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/mass-effect-3-dlc-news-next-week-6403906

Mass Effect version of Risk shown off by BioWare

13/02/2013

BioWare has announced its own Mass Effect-themed take on Hasbro’s strategy board game Risk, scheduled to be released later this year.


The developer took to Facebook to show off the game’s box. “Oh yes, it’s real, and it’s coming this Fall!” said BioWare.

The art used is the same as the cover for last year’s Mass Effect 3, suggesting the board game adaptation will revolve around Shepard’s last adventure. And the ‘Galaxy at War’ tagline is clearly visible on the box, too–Mass Effect 3′s galaxy-wide resource management and conquest system would likely make a solid base for Risk’s territorial objectives.

Hasbro is no stranger to video game adaptations of Risk, and has previously themed its iconic game around Metal Gear Solid, StarCraft and Halo.

BioWare is still teasing additional DLC for Mass Effect 3, with eagle-eyed data miners recently uncovering files that suggest the company will bring single-player data into the next wave of co-op levels.

For more information on Mass Effect, check out GameSpot’s previous coverage.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/mass-effect-version-of-risk-shown-off-by-bioware-6403820

BioWare: Calling next entry Mass Effect 4 is a disservice

07/02/2013

BioWare wants to make clear that the next entry in the Mass Effect series should not be known as Mass Effect 4. Writing on the BioWare forums (via Eurogamer), community developer Chris Priestly explained that the only confirmed detail about the new game is that it will not feature Commander Shepard.


“To call the next game Mass Effect 4 or ME4 is doing it a disservice and seems to cause a lot of confusion here,” Priestly said.

“We have already said that the Commander Shepard trilogy is over and that the next game will not feature him/her. I see people saying, ‘Well, they’ll have to pick a canon ending.’ No, because the game does not have to come after. Or before. Or off to the side. Or with characters you know. Or yaddayaddayadda. Wherever, whenever, whoever, etc. will all be revealed years down the road when we actually start talking about it.”

Priestly added that a much more accurate way of thinking about the next Mass Effect game is “what happens next set in the Mass Effect universe.” The developer said he expects fans to speculate as to content, character, and story, but nothing official will be announced for some time.

The next Mass Effect game was officially confirmed in November. It will run on the Frostbite game engine–the technology that powers DICE’s Battlefield games, among others–and is said to be “very respectful” of the franchise’s core pillars, though BioWare is pursuing new directions with regard to story and gameplay.

Article source: http://www.gamespot.com/news/bioware-calling-next-entry-mass-effect-4-is-a-disservice-6403576

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