About Bioware

"BioWare's vision is to deliver the best story-driven games in the world."
- Dr. Ray Muzyka - CEO and General Manager, BioWare & Vice President, Electronic Arts
- Dr. Greg Zeschuk - President and General Manager, BioWare & Vice President, Electronic Arts

BioWare History

• BioWare is an electronic entertainment company specializing in creating computer, handheld and console video games.
• BioWare's vision is to deliver the best story-driven games in the world.
• Founded in 1995, BioWare recently celebrated its 12th anniversary. BioWare has studios in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Austin, Texas.
• Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk are also the Co-Executive Producers of BioWare's games.
• BioWare currently employs close to 400 people at both its Edmonton and Austin studios combined.
• BioWare's online community has over 3.8 million registered users at www.bioware.com as of January, 2008.
• In 2008, BioWare/Pandemic Studios was acquired by Electronic Arts Inc., the world's leading interactive entertainment software company.
• In November 2007, BioWare released Mass Effect™, a science fiction action RPG for Xbox 360. Mass Effect has received overwhelming critical acclaim and is based on another new, BioWare-owned IP.
• In February 2007, BioWare released Jade Empire: Special Edition for the PC, published by 2K Games.
• In September 2006, BioWare announced the formation of a new handheld game development group to begin work on Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood in partnership with SEGA for the Nintendo DS™.
• BioWare Austin opened in March 2006 and is currently developing a new Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game.
• In 2005 BioWare participated in a US$300 million merger with Pandemic Studios to form one of the strongest independent game development companies in the games industry.
• BioWare/Pandemic Studios was a partnership facilitated by private equity firm, Elevation Partners.
• In April 2005, BioWare released Jade Empire™, a martial arts action role-playing game based on a new BioWare-owned intellectual property (IP). Jade Empire was published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox video game system.
• In late 2004, BioWare launched the BioWare Online Store at store.bioware.com, an Internet-based marketplace where consumers can purchase both digital and physical BioWare-related products.
• In May 2004, BioWare announced Dragon Age™, a fantasy role-playing game based on a new BioWare-owned IP.
• Over the past decade BioWare's games and engines have sold over 20 million copies.
• BioWare licenses its game engine technology: the BioWare Infinity Engine™, which has powered a number of critically acclaimed role-playing games like Planescape: Torment, Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter, and Icewind Dale II; the BioWare Aurora Engine™, which powered Neverwinter Nights 2 from Obsidian Entertainment and Atari; and the BioWare Odyssey Engine™, which was used in the development of Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords from Obsidian Entertainment and LucasArts.

Titles in Production

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

• BioWare's handheld game group, based out of the BioWare Edmonton studio, is hard at work on a new RPG for the Nintendo DS, based on the popular Sonic license by SEGA.
• The new Sonic RPG will feature an epic storyline, all-new characters, fast-paced combat, and a multitude of environments to explore.

Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) Game (not yet announced)

• BioWare Austin is currently developing a new Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game.

BioWare Next Generation Game #2 (not yet announced)

• BioWare has a team dedicated to a second, as yet unannounced next generation title.

Dragon Age

• Dragon Age™ is a blockbuster fantasy role-playing game set in a world created by BioWare. Dragon Age will offer a deep, party-based role-playing experience. Utilizing a brand new game engine, Dragon Age will feature stunning visuals with a tantalizing blend of the exploration and combat!

Other Games (not yet announced)

• BioWare has other projects in development, including cutting-edge next-generation technology development through BioWare's Technology Architecture Group and the BioWare Eclipse Engine™, and online development with the BioWare Live Team and the BioWare online store at store.bioware.com
• More information on upcoming titles available at www.bioware.com

Portfolio Of Games Developed

Mass Effect

• MetaCritic Score (as of February 2008): 91%.
• Mass Effect™ is an epic science fiction action RPG under development exclusively for Xbox 360. Mass Effect is the first of a trilogy of games based on this entirely new world . Set 200 years in the future, the game features an immersive storyline along with photorealistic graphics. With party-based, real-time combat and a huge cast of digital actors, Mass Effect has received critical acclaim from the most influential media outlets.
• Mass Effect is published by Microsoft Game Studios.
• Mass Effect has won numerous awards including Game of the Year, RPG of the Year, and Readers' Choice from leading gaming and general consumer publications.

Jade Empire

• MetaCritic Score (as of February 2008): 89%.
• Jade Empire is a martial arts action RPG created by BioWare, the commercially and critically acclaimed RPG developer of Star Warsİ: Knights of the Old Republic™, Neverwinter Nights™, and the Baldur's Gate™ series. Developed with a next-generation Xbox engine, fans can expect a stunning visual and gameplay experience.
• Jade Empire was released in April 2005 and was published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox video game system.
• A PC version of Jade Empire was released in early 2007 and was published by 2K Games.
• More information is available at jade.bioware.com.

Star Warsİ: Knights of the Old Republic™

• MetaCritic Score (as of February 2008): 94%.
• Released on the Xbox in July 2003 and on PC in November 2003 and published by LucasArts, this was the fastest-selling Xbox game in history at the time of its release.
• The game has sold 3 million copies to date (Xbox and PC) and spawned a successful sequel which was launched in Holiday 2004.
• The first Star Wars role-playing game takes place 4000 years before the time of the films.
• Epic role-playing storyline in the BioWare tradition, where the player gets to become a Jedi, following either the light or dark side of the Force.
• Advanced, state-of-the-art graphics which pushed the envelope on both Xbox and PC.
• Ranked 23rd best game of all time, and 3rd best Xbox game of all time at Gamerankings.com, as of October 2006.
• Star Warsİ: Knights of the Old Republic™ has won nearly 50 Game of the Year awards and over 30 RPG of the Year awards.
• In total the game has accumulated over 100 awards including acknowledgements for its excellence in storytelling, technology, sound and more.

Neverwinter Nights Series

• MetaCritic Scores (as of February 2008):
  • Neverwinter Nights: 91%.
  • Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Undrentide: 78%.
  • Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark: 84%.
• The groundbreaking Neverwinter Nights, a computer role-playing game for both single-player (with the 100 hour official campaign) or multiplayer play, was released in June 2002 to critical and commercial success. The title was published by Infogrames/Atari.
• The game was initially localized to English, German, and Korean and subsequently localized to French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Chinese, and Japanese in summer/fall 2002.
• Neverwinter Nights allows the player to direct the game as an all-powerful Dungeon Master, and create their own worlds with the user-friendly Neverwinter Aurora Toolset.
• Thus far the BioWare Aurora Neverwinter toolset has been used by the BioWare Community of users (which has over 3.8 million registered user accounts as of January 2008) to create nearly 5000 Neverwinter Nights modules since its release - all available for download by the BioWare community.
• Neverwinter Nights continues to sell well, with the compilation product Neverwinter Nights Gold (featuring Neverwinter Nights and the Shadows of Undrentide expansion) released in November 2003. A new compilation, Neverwinter Nights Platinum was released in September 2004, featuring Neverwinter Nights and both commercial expansion packs.
• The game debuted at #1 worldwide at launch. Neverwinter Nights and its two expansions have sold close to 3 million copies worldwide so far.
• On November 10, 2004, BioWare launched the BioWare Online Store, offering Premium Neverwinter Nights Modules for sale for the first time. The modules available currently are Neverwinter Nights: Kingmaker (which won an AIAS award for best PC RPG of the year for 2004), Neverwinter Nights: ShadowGuard, Neverwinter Nights: Witch's Wake, Neverwinter Nights: Pirates of the Sword Coast, Neverwinter Nights: Infinite Dungeons, and Neverwinter Nights: Wyvern Crown.

MDK2 & MDK2: Armageddon

• MetaCritic Scores (as of February 2008):
  • MDK2: 83%
  • MDK2: Armageddon: 80%
• BioWare first branched out to the console arena with MDK2 - BioWare's first cross platform project for the Sega Dreamcast (March 2000) and PC (May 2000) as well as MDK2: Armageddon for the Playstation 2, an enhanced version of MDK2, which was released at the end of March 2001
• Altogether, the various SKUs of the MDK2 series sold over 1 million units and have won a number of awards

Baldur's Gate Series

• MetaCritic Scores (as of February 2008):
  • Baldur's Gate: 91%
  • Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn: 95%
  • Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal: 88%
• The Baldur's Gate series: Baldur's Gate I, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal have sold approximately 5 million units world-wide
• Baldur's Gate, released in 1998, has sold over 2 million units for PC and has won many industry awards; in 1999, BioWare released Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, a Baldur's Gate expansion pack. It debuted at #1 worldwide and sold over 600,000 units
• Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, was released in Sept. 2000 and continued the award winning story line of the Baldur's Gate series, selling over 2 million units so far; in June 2001 Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal was released, the expansion pack to the award winning Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, and the conclusion to the Baldur's Gate series, selling more than 500,000 units
• The Baldur's Gate franchise has won multiple Game of the Year and RPG of the Year awards

Shattered Steel

• BioWare's first game - released in October 1996 for PC
• Shattered Steel has sold close to 200,000 units and won several awards and critical acclaim

 

More information on our games can be found in the BioWare Games section.