BioWare Co-Founders Retire

[hermes]

I blame the people that demanded for their heads all this year more than I blame EA.

 

[Mark D. Stroyer]

Since there's really nothing new I can say...

I really hope they don't start making mobile games.

 

[hermes]

Vaya con Dios, gentlemen. You brought us some amazing work.

We shall watch your careers with great interest.

what does Vaya Con dios mean?

the best translation would be "Godspeed " or "best of lucks "

 

[Agente L]

I wonder why.

Also, while I deeply enjoyed dragon age origins, KOTOR, baldur's gate, even mass effect 1 and 2, they pretty much destroyed their entire legacy with the last 2 or so years. On-disk DLC, horrible customer support, terrible PR, things like the reused caves on DA2, etc.

But farewell, and best of luck. Where bioware crashed and burned, may you two keep going strong.

 

[Sartan0]

Calling it now: Bioware shall be sucked into the void known as EA. Just as so many have before them. Good Night, decent Western RPG makers. May heavenly angels sing thee to they rest.

While it is not exactly a replacement throw some money at this if you have some to spare:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity

I did and it made me feel better about this news.

 

[Thoric485]

Good on them for departing, rather than continuing on with the farce.

They're following in the steps of great men--Richard Garriott, Peter Molyneux, Mark Jacobs, Will Wright--all shook hands with EA and then had to leave their companies and franchises behind, to ruin, obscurity and infamy.

I really fucking hope the next time EA acquire something, gaming journalists won't be drinking the "this time it will be different" Kool-Aid.

 

[Gunner 51]

What conspiracy theories? No post has yet said "only crap is coming now" at the time of your post.

The company's co-founders are leaving and another company owns what is left. i.e: BioWare is now just a name, regardless of what games come next.

Have you read the responses? "RIP Bioware" "Only a shell of what you once were" "Now only a matter of time before it dies a slow and painful death"

Knock it off.

I agree, all this hipster stuff about Bioware RIP / selling out / being a shell of itself is enough to make a veteran gamer like me reach for the sick bucket. The ire that Bioware has attracted on these forums is disproportionate especially considering that there are far more people deserving it. (Like publishers who bleed everything dry and destroy all they touch only to move onto another company.)

I better cut this one short before my inner Communist really starts to rant about the publishers.

 

[crazyrabbits]

All this hipster stuff about Bioware RIP / selling out / being a shell of itself is enough to make a veteran gamer like me reach for the sick bucket. The ire that Bioware has attracted on these forums is disproportionate especially considering that there are far more people deserving it. (Like publishers who bleed everything dry and destroy all they touch only to move onto another company.)

I remember back in those "halcyon days" of 2009 when Bioware was first reported as being acquired (by proxy) by EA. Everyone was predicting exactly the course of events that occurred - games having less effort being put into them, corporate oversight diluting creativity, games and staff members being marginalized for profit...

If you really think this is disproportionate, then you fail to understand EA's history of gutting well-known (and, in many cases, very profitable) developers. The cases of Bullfrog, Westwood, Origin and (to an extent) Maxis are still remembered.

You reference "publishers who bleed everything dry" and fail to mention what happened to the Ultima series? Or C&C? Or The Sims? As a veteran gamer, you should be at the very latest aware of what EA has done to its divisions over the last two decades.

 

[Legion]

Oh do grow up. Already with the conspiracy theories and cries for what darkness is to come?

I wish them both the very best in their new pursuits, and I thank them for their contribution to games. I think that's really all that needs to be said.

A levelheaded comment on Bioware news? On the first page?

There is hope!

Telling people to "Grow up" for posting "conspiracy theories" before any had been made is hardly level headed.

 

[Imbechile]

BioWare Co-Founders Retire

And no tears were shed.

but you simply cannot overstate the impact that Zeschuk and Muzyka had on the industry.

Unfortunately, not every impact is good. In this case the impact was bad

they rejuvenated and reshaped the RPG genre

Yes I agree. But then they, ironically, proceeded to dumb down the genre to awesome button gameplay, style over substance, and pathetic pandering to the fans with their romances.



And for that I say: Good riddance!

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

-snip-

Hey hey hey!

While Bioware's latest offerings could be charitably called 'wattered down' and uncharitably called 'piles of dross sprinkled with good characters' I would rather remember them for their earlier work, like Neverwinter Nights and Baulder's Gate.

Remember the ill deeds along with the good and let them be judged accordingly.

 

[Gunner 51]

All this hipster stuff about Bioware RIP / selling out / being a shell of itself is enough to make a veteran gamer like me reach for the sick bucket. The ire that Bioware has attracted on these forums is disproportionate especially considering that there are far more people deserving it. (Like publishers who bleed everything dry and destroy all they touch only to move onto another company.)

I remember back in those "halcyon days" of 2009 when Bioware was first reported as being acquired (by proxy) by EA. Everyone was predicting exactly the course of events that occurred - games having less effort being put into them, corporate oversight diluting creativity, games and staff members being marginalized for profit...

If you really think this is disproportionate, then you fail to understand EA's history of gutting well-known (and, in many cases, very profitable) developers. The cases of Bullfrog, Westwood, Origin and (to an extent) Maxis are still remembered.

You reference "publishers who bleed everything dry" and fail to mention what happened to the Ultima series? Or C&C? Or The Sims? As a veteran gamer, you should be at the very latest aware of what EA has done to its divisions over the last two decades.

I cannot and will not dispute that EA and their ilk have diluted creativity and marginalized everything for profit. But the question remains what can gamers do to stop it. Sadly, there's only with thing us gamers can do - and it's not pretty.

Stop buying their products - Boycotts work, but it all depends on the strength on those doing the boycotting. I haven't purchased a single Activision game in years. (Two years, actually ) I've worked out that Activision is now lacking about £550 in the past two years because I alone stuck to my guns. (Based upon 6 games per year over two years.)

If I can deny Activision that kind of money alone, just imagine the look on John Riccitiello's face if gamers did this to EA for a maybe two months. Two months of no money for EA will surely make them sit up and get talking with gamers.

 

[CrazyCapnMorgan]

Well, the song can finally be played. Thank you gentlemen, for what good you have brought to all of us gamers.

 

[Leroy Frederick]

Hate to say this, but being owned by EA and having the two lead visionaries / creative leads leaving is a bad combination if past history tells us anything. I think that's pretty much the end of BioWare I'm afraid...

 

[Acton Hank]

Maybe they got tired of all the hate they got for just making games.

Probably or rather they realized how completely infantile their fanbase was and decided to work somewhere where people don't have the emotional and intellectual maturity of a spoiled 6 year old.

 

[viranimus]

/sigh

Yes with such dedicated fans that would never possibly lash out over something completely baseless or logic defying, is it really any wonder these guys do not have passion to create games any more?

Good luck guys... we will see you soon in your own company. They always come back. Damned junkie developers.

 

[MetalMagpie]

Thread title says they are retiring. But: "After nearly twenty years working at BioWare I've decided it's time to move on and pursue something new." says, 'I'm quitting to continue working but on something else that isn't Bioware/EA related.' Sounds like someone is trying hard to spin the news to me.

I think the title means retiring from making games.

Muzyka said he intends to become more involved with educational, health care and animal rights charities, while Zeschuk said he wants to pursue some "personal passion-driven projects related to craft beer." Alas, we shouldn't expect a return to the business of making games from either of them anytime soon; Zeschuk in particular said there's a "strong possibility" that he won't ever be back.

So one of them wants to do charity stuff and the other wants to make beer.

EDIT: Reading their actual blog posts, Ray Muzyka specifically says, "I made the decision to retire from videogames back in early April 2012" and Greg Zeschuk says "I can state that I'm not going to be working in games for a while, and there's a strong possibility that I won't be back."

 

[MetalMagpie]

Before we get too far down the EA-hating road, here's a quote from each of their goodbye posts:

The past five+ years at EA have been very good for me personally. I've learned a lot about navigating successfully within a larger publicly traded company, working with - and continually being inspired by - a large, passionate team across many locations. My teams and I have benefited tremendously from the mentorship, wisdom and continuous strong support of EA's leadership team in EA's President Frank Gibeau, COO Peter Moore and CEO John Riccitiello, among many others; the company and its management team have been consistently supportive of BioWare's culture and commitment to quality and creativity.

I'd also like to thank EA for the amazing support we've received in recent years. Working with John Riccitiello, Frank Gibeau, Peter Moore and the rest of the EA team was a great experience and their support was essential in us being able to achieve our creative goals with Dragon Age, Mass Effect and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Thanks to the team at Electronic Arts we had an amazing run. I've had the great fortune of making a number of lifelong friends within EA that I'll always cherish; happily I leave this experience with great people to remember it by.

Whether or not you think they're being sincere, they didn't have to say anything about EA in their goodbyes.

 

[[Insert Name Here]]

Way to go internet whining, you just assisted in driving two of the medium's auteurs out of the industry.

 

[disgruntledgamer]

In other words EA crushed their spirits to the point that they no longer even want to work in video games any more. Can't say I blame them after watching EA rape their baby over and over whilst laughing all the way to the bank.

Still glad you signed up with EA boys?