Greg Zeschuk, Ray Muzyka announce BioWare departure

Sheeeiiiittttt

i hope they will open new studio and create games like the old times!!

Bullfrog 2.0

@2 They’re both moving out of the games industry completely.

Rest in peace BioWare. It’s been fun.

damn

These two have always been about the bottom line(money) I am glad they stayed as long as they did but you have to move on. My goal is to do something similar bust my ass for a decade or two in this industry and then go do something entirely different comfortably.

I wish them the best of luck in their future projects.

The decline in quality of BioWare’s work has been more than obvious. Well done EA. From uber classics like Baldur’s Gate to… uber rush jobs like Dragon Age 2.

That being said, with the big two moving out of gaming completely, I won’t say it’s another Bullfrog but yeah, this SUCKS.

Translation: Working for EA sucks, I’m out!

@7 & @8
Geez guys, you don’t pass up a chance, no matter how minor it is to flame EA do ye?

not open new studio retirement for ever from video games

So, basically upcoming Bioware games will be so shit that all talented people run away now,while they still have good resume and good track of created games. At some point “you’re one of idiots who made that shitty Dragon Age 3″ will be a thing.
They say they retire from videogames. Well, who knows. Another one’s mind is impossible to read.

@9
Name one EA owned studio that they didn’t destroy / ruin / lower. Remember the original Medal of Honor team (Now back at Respawn… worried about them)? Bullfrog? Westwood? DICE? Criterion?

Sure, the last 2 still exists but look at them. Criterion used to make cutting edge games and GOTY contenders like Burnout 3 / Revenge. Now they’re the NFS factory. DICE? Yeah, original BF games were great. Now? Engine maker and BF factory (BF4 is already on the way, just like how fast C&C4 was announced after C&C3).

Don’t forget the guy that made Plants versus Zombies, who they actually fired, or the Dead Space guys who ended up over at Activision.

@11

Ray and Greg were only talented with what direction the games went in order to bring them money nothing more. They weren’t there for the day in and day out of the production they just made sure they made dead lines and the standard of their’s was met.

They weren’t Randy Pitchford. They were the stereotypical suits. THese guys will still be getting paid for BIoware now they just don’t have to deal with the politics.

I wouldn’t buy a studio these days. Why would you, you buy it, and everyone leaves, and all you are left with the logo on the door.

Prolly why no one is bitting on buying Acti/Blizz. Most of these companies are over valued anyways. In the games industry you have to prove your worth, not on what you have done, but instead on what your about to do.

Would be like paying top money for an aging footballer, sure he might make the Hall of Fame, but his past acolades won’t win you the game today.

@15 You’re forgetting about contracts. All that is checked before anyone buys anything.

Otherwise Vivendi might sell you Activision, and just rehire all the guys back under a new company. I mean potentially.

True, but it does seem to happen. Talent jumps like rats on a sinking ship.

That’s because leadership matters.

The exact same thing happened to Bullfrog in the 90′s. Molyneux assured everyone that nothing would change, but reality was that everything changed. And then he did the exact same thing by selling to Microsoft the second time.

You go from being an independent company lead by a guy you believe in, to being lead by guys who have no idea who you are, what you’re capable of, or what you’re comfortable with.

You’re a number on a piece of paper to be used as a resource, instead of as a person or an artist.

There’s a pretty great article on the Escapist about Mucky Foot, a group of guys who left Bullfrog. They said they knew they had to leave, when they got dragged into the office and told off for running in the hallway.

“They said they knew they had to leave, when they got dragged into the office and told off for running in the hallway.”

What? Seriously?

So two people who decided to make money elsewhere leave, and overenthusiastic nerds debate driving forces behind people who make money off them.

This is new.

@19 I’m guessing it was symptomatic of the change in style.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_146/4839-Footprints

It’s a great article.

Blimey!

Well It’s the end of an era… Bioware Edmonton was always a great studio and I was saddened to see EA buy them, and ever sadder when EA ruined the name bioware by making everything “Bioware”, but I suspected then this day was coming.

I figured they would leave eventually, they made their money selling off Bioware, and would stick it out for awhile, either by choice or by contract. When They became higher ups, I figured that wasn’t going to last and it looks like I was right.

I’m sure they are burned out after their experiences at EA, they don’t need the money, and would rather do something else now. Maybe they might eventually get back into gaming somehow, but it would be a later time after they had a chance to relax and do something different.

Not sure how this will impact EA, i imagine it won’t impact them much.
Hopefully they leave Bioware Edmonton alone so they can create more “real” Bioware games, and revert the other studios back to EA Austin, EA pittsville, EA whatever.

At least they still have David Gaider right guys?

Guys?

Anyone else not see this coming? (SARCASM!)

This is fucking huge. Bioware just lost it’s main guys meaning EA guys are going to move in. Yikes. Bullfrog all over again.

Ahhh Criterion Games – My fav. game will always be Black.

I like his plan. Kick back and write a blog about beer