Bioware is known for delivering some of the best games in the industry. Whether it is something older like Baldur’s Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or some more current great games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Their games were not only fun to play, they made you, the player, feel important as you played out different roles and made weighty decisions. Unfortunately, their image has washed away in more recent years leading them to become more of a brand-name then a powerhouse of amazing games. This trend will continue even more because the two founders, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, have left Bioware and the gaming industry as a whole.

On Tuesday, September 18th, it was reported that the two doctors have left Bioware. Dr. Ray Muzyka has stated that he will leave the game industry and pursue intrest in “investing in and mentoring new entrepreneurs, and more specifically, the field of social/impact investing.” Muzyka also stated that he made this decision back in April this year and that he would not want to come back to the game industry. Dr. Greg Zeschuk had said that he no longer feels the passion for the company or games, and that he will pursue the craft beer industry. However, he has said that it may be possible for him to come back to gaming.

While Bioware is a huge company with hundreds of employees and this is just two men leaving that company, these two men were at the forefront of Bioware making sure their games can be the games that they want to make. This is primarily an issue of the more recent years because of EA buying their studio. Although at face value, it may not be a bad thing because EA can give them more money and more publicity for their games so they can hit mainstream success. However, it gives EA more control over Bioware’s games to make decisions that Bioware may not necessarily want to make.

Some of these decisions may be to ship the game faster, like in the case of Dragon Age 2. Dragon Age 2 suffered from a huge problem from this and repeated many level designs and had players go to the same environment to the point where it made the game overstay it’s welcome and be a worse game because of it. Another example would be including multiplayer in Mass Effect 3. However, the multiplayer was quite good and made a lot of money for micro-transactions, it was still something that was not part of Bioware’s vision of the Mass Effect universe.

This has caused fans of Bioware to be angry against them several times. Dragon Age 2 being a huge disappointment. The ending of Mass Effect 3 and how awful it is. And Star Wars: The Old Republic, a MMORPG which was a hue loss for EA and has recently taken the “Free-to-play” model just to get more users.

These are easy reasons for Dr. Ray and Dr. Greg to lose faith in their company, and for the most part EA. While it may also be true that Bioware has made some of their greatest games under EA, like Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, their have been too many flops in their recent games that one has to be a bit more skeptical while looking at another Bioware developed game. I can only hope that the people who are working on the upcoming Dragon Age 3 and the next Mass Effect game can take a second and make sure they are making something not just for the fans, but for themselves too.

Bioware is known for delivering some of the best games in the industry. Whether it is something older like Baldur’s Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, or some more current great games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Their games were not only fun to play, they made you, the player, feel important as you played out different roles and made weighty decisions. Unfortunately, their image has washed away in more recent years leading them to become more of a brand-name then a powerhouse of amazing games. This trend will continue even more because the two founders, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, have left Bioware and the gaming industry as a whole.

On Tuesday, September 18th, it was reported that the two doctors have left Bioware. Dr. Ray Muzyka has stated that he will leave the game industry and pursue intrest in “investing in and mentoring new entrepreneurs, and more specifically, the field of social/impact investing.” Muzyka also stated that he made this decision back in April this year and that he would not want to come back to the game industry. Dr. Greg Zeschuk had said that he no longer feels the passion for the company or games, and that he will pursue the craft beer industry. However, he has said that it may be possible for him to come back to gaming.

While Bioware is a huge company with hundreds of employees and this is just two men leaving that company, these two men were at the forefront of Bioware making sure their games can be the games that they want to make. This is primarily an issue of the more recent years because of EA buying their studio. Although at face value, it may not be a bad thing because EA can give them more money and more publicity for their games so they can hit mainstream success. However, it gives EA more control over Bioware’s games to make decisions that Bioware may not necessarily want to make.

Some of these decisions may be to ship the game faster, like in the case of Dragon Age 2. Dragon Age 2 suffered from a huge problem from this and repeated many level designs and had players go to the same environment to the point where it made the game overstay it’s welcome and be a worse game because of it. Another example would be including multiplayer in Mass Effect 3. However, the multiplayer was quite good and made a lot of money for micro-transactions, it was still something that was not part of Bioware’s vision of the Mass Effect universe.

This has caused fans of Bioware to be angry against them several times. Dragon Age 2 being a huge disappointment. The ending of Mass Effect 3 and how awful it is. And Star Wars: The Old Republic, a MMORPG which was a hue loss for EA and has recently taken the “Free-to-play” model just to get more users.

These are easy reasons for Dr. Ray and Dr. Greg to lose faith in their company, and for the most part EA. While it may also be true that Bioware has made some of their greatest games under EA, like Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, their have been too many flops in their recent games that one has to be a bit more skeptical while looking at another Bioware developed game. I can only hope that the people who are working on the upcoming Dragon Age 3 and the next Mass Effect game can take a second and make sure they are making something not just for the fans, but for themselves too.

Bioware is fine. Dragon Age 2 fucked up in a lot of places because they made the game in one year, but it did a lot of good in other places(Character designs for one) and the story was dope. The ending was great too because your companions are so important in that game that one actually makes the ending decision that you can't intervene in. Not to mention the sales of ME3.

SWTOR. I don't play MMO's but I know that all we wanted was KOTOR 3. That's it. That's all we wanted. The tech behind Bioware and a budget like EA could have turned it into something amazing. But it wouldn't be business if you didn't take risks. The team behind that seemed very passionate about what they were doing, but they came up short so I guess it comes with the turf.

And ME3 was fantastic. That ending came out of nowhere but the Extended Cut fixed that. The game was dope. Rannoch and Tuchanka are going to be talked about for years. They finally got the mechanics sorted out and it felt like a proper shooter. Everything was very well crafted and fleshed out. Characters looked better, environments looked better, everything played better.

EA IS SECRETLY SATAN.

I don't mean to be a dickhead, and I don't mean to be a smartass, but EA is not, in fact, the cause of all your problems. Bioware made Mass Effect, not EA.

@N7 said:

Bioware is fine. Dragon Age 2 fucked up in a lot of places because they made the game in one year, but it did a lot of good in other places(Character designs for one) and the story was dope. The ending was great too because your companions are so important in that game that one actually makes the ending decision that you can't intervene in. Not to mention the sales of ME3.

SWTOR. I don't play MMO's but I know that all we wanted was KOTOR 3. That's it. That's all we wanted. The tech behind Bioware and a budget like EA could have turned it into something amazing. But it wouldn't be business if you didn't take risks. The team behind that seemed very passionate about what they were doing, but they came up short so I guess it comes with the turf.

And ME3 was fantastic. That ending came out of nowhere but the Extended Cut fixed that. The game was dope. Rannoch and Tuchanka are going to be talked about for years. They finally got the mechanics sorted out and it felt like a proper shooter. Everything was very well crafted and fleshed out. Characters looked better, environments looked better, everything played better.

It is probably to early to dig the grave for Bioware but they are in hot water. Those 3 games that I mentioned are just examples of how things are going south. DA2 was a big disappointment, especially compared to origins. SWTOR was a flop. And don't get me wrong, I think Mass Effect 3 is great, but the ending was a big disappointment to the point of a petition and Bioware actually changing it, which is a shame after how great Mass Effect 2 is. I just hope that Bioware continues to make great games and to not give their games the treatment they deserve.

@NoobSauceG7: It's way too early. Bioware isn't going anywhere because that company can receive and adjust to feedback very well. From what's been said about Dragon Age 3, that game is sounding awesome. A perfect blend of Origins and 2 and even new stuff. Full on customization again, especially for your companions.

And the DLC for ME3 was great too. It was really story intensive and from the sounds of it, they aren't going to be juggling the tones like they did in ME2. They know the fans like story focused DLC so they are going all in.

Bioware can't go anywhere. They make a lot of money and great games. They have multiple fanbases. Not to mention they are making three new games: Dragon Age 3, the next Mass Effect, and some new game set in a new universe. These guys have a lot on their plate and they are adapting to it like they always have. People just like to be cynical against Bioware. Just look at every article that has been posted about them for the past two years. Nothing but constant slamming and berating. Those guys know how to take a hit and keep on going.