Game News BioWare Are Not EA's Bitch

[Jaesun]

Tags: BioWare

<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>EuroGamer <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-10-03-bioware-ea-doesnt-tell-us-what-to-do">have an interview</a> where Ray and Greg actually believe they are not under the influence of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westwood_Studios">soul-sucking</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_Systems">life-stealing</a> Lich, otherwise known as <a href="http://www.ea.com/">EA</a>:</p>
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<blockquote>
<p>"One thing we commonly see is when fans don't like something we do, they put in the comments, 'Oh those EA guys, they're making BioWare do...' And I always chuckle because we are EA, we're BioWare - we're both, and we still have huge autonomy in terms of what we do," Greg Zeschuk told us.</p>
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<p>"We're not being forced to do anything or told to do anything. We make the decisions. We take input.</p>
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<p>"It's just funny when people say that, because it's not actually remotely true."</p>
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<p>Right.... I wonder if Richard said the same thing?</p>
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<p>They also reveal that they now actually do nothing, but instead delegate:</p>
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<blockquote>
<p>Today, Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka - both high flyers within EA, not just BioWare - are removed from the rank and file of day-to-day game development. Muzyka bosses the RPG/MMO label at EA, and Zeschuk is focused on the impending launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic. They typically delegate other duties to their experienced team leaders: Casey Hudson for Mass Effect, and Mike Laidlaw for Dragon Age.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>
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<p>Some other highlights include what is most important about developing <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">yet another action game with some vague rpg elements</span> Role Playing Games:</p>
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<blockquote>
<p>...at the end of the day, we're making entertainment and art.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>BioWare is making art.</p>
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<p>And Greg and Ray actually play the games they make:</p>
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<blockquote>
<p>"We still play everything we release, we always have and we always will. We enter a lot of feedback, a lot of bugs," said Muzyka.</p>
</blockquote>
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<p>You can read the <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-10-03-bioware-ea-doesnt-tell-us-what-to-do">entire article here</a>.</p>
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<p>r00fles!</p>
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<p>Spotted at: <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-10-03-bioware-ea-doesnt-tell-us-what-to-do">EuroGamer</a></p>

 

[DraQ]

Of course they aren't - more like EA's used up condom.

 

[Crooked Bee]

r00fles!

 

[Zed]

So how were the docs involved when Bioware made good games then?

 

[Morkar Left]

we are EA, we're BioWare - we're both

Assimilation complete. End of line.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

They would hardly say, "Yeah, EA need to approve everything we do", they would be a quick way to piss off the board.

 

[skuphundaku]

In a slightly dated article at EuroGamer...

I's not dated at all. 3/10/2011 is today. In Europe, dates are written as dd/mm/yyyy, not mm/dd/yyyy like in the States.

 

[DraQ]

So how were the docs involved when Bioware made good games then?

There was a time when Bioware was making good games? :/

 

[Jaesun]

In a slightly dated article at EuroGamer...

I's not dated at all. 3/10/2011 is today. In Europe, dates are written as dd/mm/yyyy, not mm/dd/yyyy like in the States.

:patriot:

Thanks, I completely spaced on that.

So how were the docs involved when Bioware made good games then?

I vaguely remember an article back in the day that on Baldur's Gate (not II) they were very much hands on with the development on that (even when it was the Sci-Fi RTS that it originally was). I can *guess* that after the sudden success of Baldur's Gate, with Baldur's Gate II and onward, they took a more administrative role.

 

[Zarniwoop]

They do have a point, they've made shit games before EA got involved. The second worst piece of crap they ever shat out, Jade Empire, was unleashed on the unsuspecting world in 2005.

 

[J_C]

Saying that they have full authority inside EA is even worse, because this way their fans can't even blame EA for making shitty games like DA2. It is all Bioware's fault.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

They do have a point, they've made shit games before EA got involved. The second worst piece of crap they ever shat out, Jade Empire, was unleashed on the unsuspecting world in 2005.

Jade Empire was one of their better games. I'd say third best, after ME2 and ME.

 

[Zarniwoop]

They do have a point, they've made shit games before EA got involved. The second worst piece of crap they ever shat out, Jade Empire, was unleashed on the unsuspecting world in 2005.

Jade Empire was one of their better games. I'd say third best, after ME2 and ME.

OK, since we're in trololololol/opposite land, why not say it's the 4th best? You forgot Dragon Age 2, the game of the decade.

 

[Volourn]

JE was a funtastic game. KOTOR, SOU, MDK2, and SS are their worst games.

 

[Oriebam]

They would hardly say, "Yeah, EA need to approve everything we do", they would be a quick way to piss off the board.

Wow, that makes a lot of sense.

 

[Jaesun]

You know I actually own SOU and still to this day, I can not bring myself to ever play it.

 

[Zarniwoop]

Jade Empire is hardly even a bloody game at all! There's only ridiculously tiny areas/corridors to walk in, with almost nothing to do. Seriously, it makes KOTOR's deserted emptiness seem like New Reno by comparison. The only time you ever do anything is in one of the retarded fight scenes where most of the fighting is with the terrible controls, trying to make the character do what you want.

Take Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, take out the story and the nice graphics, and add in a Chinese setting. Voila. Jade Empire.

 

[spekkio]

[...] MDK2 [...] are their worst games.

Git out!

 

[Bulba]

You know I actually own SOU and still to this day, I can not bring myself to ever play it.

What's SOU?

is EA going to sell BIOWARE?

No? than it makes no difference who is whos bitch, since its going to stay that way for a long time. And even if EA does sell BIOWARE, that would only make them someone elses biatches. :/

 

[Jaesun]

is EA going to sell BIOWARE?

No? than it makes no difference who is whos bitch, since its going to stay that way for a long time. And even if EA does sell BIOWARE, that would only make them someone elses biatches. :/

If history does not repeat itself, then there is noting to worry about. Until the cosole kids finally get bored of Yet Another Shitty Action Game With Vague RPG Mechanics #47653845.

 

[Bobtheblob]

Greg Zeschuk said:

One thing we commonly see is when fans don't like something we do, they put in the comments, "Oh those EA guys, they're making BioWare do...," and I always chuckle because we are EA, we're BioWare - we're both, and we still have huge autonomy in terms of what we do.

The level of double-speak in that can cause realities to implode.

In this case the Bioware realities. At least Origin had the decency to admit and include in game evidence that they knew they would be(U7-P1), we're being(u8) and had been royally buggered by EA (everything past u8).

On another note, reminds me of the holy trinity God is one/three things at the same time in some obscure religion or other.

 

[J_C]

[...] MDK2 [...] are their best games.

Git out!

I fixed it. Volly must have mixed up the words.

 

[bhlaab]

So when fans say it's EA's fault Bioware sucks now don't believe them, it's actually Bioware's fault according to Bioware's founders.

 

[DraQ]

[...] MDK2 [...] are their worst games.

Git out!

Well, MDK2 was rather shitty in comparison to it's prequel. Some architecture was imaginative, but the humour was mostly derp and forced (with rare exceptions like Kurt's epic tripjump at the beginning of the game), and I couldn't be arsed to finish it even once, whereas I played through MDK1 several times despite it's extreme linearity.

Inane game for inane people.

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

Jade Empire is hardly even a bloody game at all! There's only ridiculously tiny areas/corridors to walk in, with almost nothing to do. Seriously, it makes KOTOR's deserted emptiness seem like New Reno by comparison. The only time you ever do anything is in one of the retarded fight scenes where most of the fighting is with the terrible controls, trying to make the character do what you want.

Take Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, take out the story and the nice graphics, and add in a Chinese setting. Voila. Jade Empire.

please die