UPDATE: BioWare has confirmed the news in a blog post with comments from both Zeschuk and Muzyka.
It appears both are (for now) leaving games.
Muzyka apparently told EA about his decision back in April 2012, and allowed the company six months to set up a proper transition.
"I now desire to take on a brand new entrepreneurial challenge," said Muzyka. "I believe strongly in the power of free enterprise to enable sustainable change, so my next ‘chapter’ will likely focus on an entirely new industry, something exciting, different and frankly downright scary – investing in and mentoring new entrepreneurs, and more specifically, the field of social/impact investing."
Zeschuk's letter was much more somber, and sounded akin to a man defeated by his work load.
"This decision isn’t without significant pain and regret, but it’s also something I know I need to do, for myself and my family," said Zeschuk. "I’ve reached an unexpected point in my life where I no longer have the passion that I once did for the company, for the games, and for the challenge of creation. For the people I have had the privilege of working with, however, my passion burns as brightly as it did the day we started."
In the immediate future, Zeschuk will pursue his passion for craft beer, and host a web series where he interviews beer creators. It's possible he'll come back to games at a later date, but maybe not.
"If not, I’ll have drunk a lot of tasty beers and may be back in games or even something else completely different," he said. "Ultimately time will tell."
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At an internal meeting this morning, BioWare co-founders Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka announced the duo are leaving the company, I’m told by multiple sources close to the situation.
It’s unclear why Zeschuk and Muzyka are leaving.
BioWare and Electronic Arts shipped Star Wars: The Old Republic last December to a mixed critical reception, and the game has struggled to hold onto users since. Dragon Age 3: Inquisition was formally announced yesterday, running on DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine, and is scheduled for a release in late 2013.
Electronic Arts has not respond to my request for comment.
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