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Star Wars: The Old Republic: Ray Muzyka & Greg Zeschuk Retire from BioWare

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129

BioWare has just announced that co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk have decided to retire from the company. Each of the two has penned a blog article about their time at BioWare and detail some of the reasons behind their decision.

From Ray Muzyka:

The decision to leave the videogame industry is hard to explain, but essentially I feel similar now to how I felt in the early days of BioWare over the decade post-medical school, while I was still practicing as an ER physician, back when I first realized that the world of video games was my next career ‘chapter’. Two wonderful decades working at BioWare and later EA was the result of that decision. It’s not often that you can truly say you were able to pursue and achieve your dream job; I know how lucky I am to be able to say that now, in my early 40s.

From Greg Zeschuk:

Some of you will be curious what I’ll be doing next, and 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. After my departure I’m going to be spending significant time with family and friends, as well as pursuing some personal passion-driven projects related to craft beer. The main project I will be working on is a web-based interview show called The Beer Diaries where I interview notable brewers and showcase their beers. If things go well, I’ll work on other beer-related shows, apps and projects. If not, I’ll have drunk a lot of tasty beers and may be back in games or even something else completely different. Ultimately time will tell.

Read the full blog posts on the BioWare site.

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Comments

  • DSWBeefDSWBeef Member UncommonPosts: 789
    Code for "We hate what EA has done to BW, so we're gone"

    Playing: FFXIV, DnL, and World of Warships
    Waiting on: Ashes of Creation

  • WhiteLanternWhiteLantern Member RarePosts: 3,306

    Well, I'm sure they've made plenty of money off of the sale of BW to be ok.

    Interesting, I see this as throwing in the towel and running away. These gusy are better than that.

    I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil

  • grimalgrimal Member UncommonPosts: 2,935
    Originally posted by WhiteLantern

    Well, I'm sure they've made plenty of money off of the sale of BW to be ok.

    Interesting, I see this as throwing in the towel and running away. These gusy are better than that.

    That's like David and Goliath.  And even if they had a chance at winning, would you want to spend the amount of time it would take fighting something as big as EA?

  • ishistishist Member UncommonPosts: 213
    Originally posted by WhiteLantern

    Well, I'm sure they've made plenty of money off of the sale of BW to be ok.

    Interesting, I see this as throwing in the towel and running away. These gusy are better than that.

    Not much else they can do at this point. The deal is done. Souls and cash have long since been exchanged. Put yourself in their shoes, watching over the last few years as the studio they built into one of the most beloved RPG devs is milked dry and thoroughly violated by the EA behemoth. It's gotta be disheartening.

     

    Plus they probably had to sign a non-compete contract. Maybe when (or if) that runs out they'll give it another shot.

     

    They made some excellant games, sad to see em go.

     

    In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move. - Douglas Adams

  • TardcoreTardcore Member Posts: 2,325

    "Where are all the good men dead? In the heart, or in the head?"

    End of an era I guess.

    Oh well. We still have the next generic ball of shyte from Hugenormous Conglomco Inc to look forward to.

    image

    "Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "

  • Paragus1Paragus1 Member UncommonPosts: 1,741
    Originally posted by DSWBeef
    Code for "We hate what EA has done to BW, so we're gone"

    Pretty much what I was thinking as well.

  • AbdarAbdar Member UncommonPosts: 400

    Bioware had a game they wanted to make, EA bought them, told them the game they wanted Bioware to make.. 

     

    .. you know the rest of the story.

  • garrettgarrett MMORPG.COM Staff UncommonPosts: 284
    this sucks.
     :p 
  • VantrasVantras Member Posts: 124

    I love how folks pretend that a founder who sells his/her company to a huge corporate entity is somehow innocent when that huge company butchers the original vision, guts the brand or exploits its strengths.  They call it "selling out" for a reason. These guys built a great company, saw an oppurtunity to reap an enormous harvest when they sold to EA-but they did so with their eyes wide open-they took the cash and sold the baby.  Acting as if their departure now is somehow an act of defiance at how the baby they knowingly sold is being raised is naive and absurd. 

    I dont blame them at all for selling but i also wont pretend that they arent 100% culpable in what BW has turned into.

  • SkuzSkuz Member UncommonPosts: 1,018

    No way to encapsulate my feelings other than a heart felt ;

     

    "F U , you sell-outs!"

  • Jerek_Jerek_ Member Posts: 409
    choosing to leave on the same day or day after dragon age 3 is announced is a pretty strong statement.  I just hope gamers choose to put their money where their mouths have been and punish EA for the last several releases.
  • solarinesolarine Member Posts: 1,203

    Wow. As much as Bioware losing their touch bit by bit was sad to see, this is still horrendous news.

    This basically means Bioware is no more. True, I haven't greatly enjoyed the games they made for some time now, but c'mon... We're talking about a company that's developed some of my favorite games ever. Baldur's Gate 2, KOTOR...

    They shouldn't have sold out to EA... They just shouldn't have. 

    To me, this is the biggest "EA ruining a dev house" incident since Westwood.

    Just hold in there, Valve. 

  • NixlNixl Member Posts: 67

    Worse part is that the executives of EA and management are safe no matter what.  Even if EA tanks, which it probably will if this keeps up, they will be perfectly fine. 

     

    Although it may be too soon to call this Bioware's death, this is a blow nonetheless. 

  • nixiumnixium Member Posts: 21
    Enjoy your time off. We know you will be back. Probably not with Bioware though.
  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 31,892
    Originally posted by DSWBeef
    Code for "We hate what EA has done to BW, so we're gone"

    probably true. What a shame.

     

    Still the force is still strong...

    "personal passion-driven projects related to craft beer"

    Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb." 

    Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w


    Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547

    Try the "Special Edition." 'Cause it's "Special." https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/64878/?tab=description

    Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo 
  • DenambrenDenambren Member UncommonPosts: 399
    Origin Systems, Bullfrog, Bioware
  • SovrathSovrath Member LegendaryPosts: 31,892
    Originally posted by garrett
    this sucks.
     

    It does suck. I'm a bit bummed. Quite frankly that was a death knell if I ever heard one.

    Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb." 

    Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w


    Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547

    Try the "Special Edition." 'Cause it's "Special." https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/64878/?tab=description

    Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo 
  • itgrowlsitgrowls Member Posts: 2,951
    Oh i dunno, I was thinking it was code for (and more along the lines of)  "We did such a bad job with this game that we can't even continue in the gaming industry anymore"
  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441

    Crud, those 2 were the last good of Bioware.

    I hope they after a year or so doing other stuff realize that they are good at making games and start something new (and this time dont selll to EA no matter what they pay).

    My hat is off, Bioware we knew is now offcially gone. 

    Lets remember them for the good games they made, like Baldurs gate I & II and NWN.

    Good luck both of you. And Greg, you cant go wrong with beer. :)

  • adam_noxadam_nox Member UncommonPosts: 2,148
    After fan backlash over 3 recent releases, I can't blame them for retiring.  Even if they didn't feel like EA was sucking the life out of the gaming industry and their souls, the constant whining and crying of people regarding DA2 and ME3 would be enough to make anyone give the gaming industry the middle finger.
  • finnmacool1finnmacool1 Member Posts: 453
    Originally posted by Vantras

    I love how folks pretend that a founder who sells his/her company to a huge corporate entity is somehow innocent when that huge company butchers the original vision, guts the brand or exploits its strengths.  They call it "selling out" for a reason. These guys built a great company, saw an oppurtunity to reap an enormous harvest when they sold to EA-but they did so with their eyes wide open-they took the cash and sold the baby.  Acting as if their departure now is somehow an act of defiance at how the baby they knowingly sold is being raised is naive and absurd. 

    I dont blame them at all for selling but i also wont pretend that they arent 100% culpable in what BW has turned into.

    This.

  • ScorchienScorchien Member LegendaryPosts: 8,914

    Some of us here tryed to warn yas that EA would destroy BW and splinter them as they chose .. we were told we didnt know what we were talking about and were clueless...

     

                                Aint that rich..

  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441
    Originally posted by adam_nox
    After fan backlash over 3 recent releases, I can't blame them for retiring.  Even if they didn't feel like EA was sucking the life out of the gaming industry and their souls, the constant whining and crying of people regarding DA2 and ME3 would be enough to make anyone give the gaming industry the middle finger.

    They didnt really make DA 1 or 2, it was made by a new studio EA just stamped Bioware on. In fact EA have 4 Bioware studios now, and only one is really the original even if most of the old people are long gone.

    The whining about the ending of ME3 was certainly not nice to hear but knowing what EA did to the game with microtransactions were probably at least as bad.

  • ShakyMoShakyMo Member CommonPosts: 7,207
    Working for EA drives you to drink!
  • miscrpgdudemiscrpgdude Member UncommonPosts: 28
    It’s VERY likely this was planned from the day they sold bioware itself, it’s pretty common practice for the former president to have a period where they continue to operate the company for continuities sake. Now they won't be in gaming for probably at least 5 years due to a non-compete clause, all very predictable and standard stuff.
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