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Bioware
 

BioWare Corp. is a Canadian electronic entertainment company founded in February 1995 by medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. It is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. BioWare specializes in creating computer and console video games and has become famous for successful computer role-playing games such as Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights and Knights of the Old Republic.

Muzyka and Zeschuk are currently the studio heads of BioWare, with Muzyka the Chief Executive Officer and Zeschuk the President of BioWare; Yip left in early 1997 to return to medicine.

In November 2005, it was announced that BioWare and Pandemic Studios would be joining forces, with private equity fund Elevation Partners investing in the partnership. However, both companies will retain their brands and identities.

On March 13, 2006, Bioware announced that they opened a new studio in Austin, Texas headed by industry veterans Gordon Walton and Richard Vogel, which is already working on developing an MMORPG.

Games

Third party games using BioWare engines

Engines

Bioware created the Infinity Engine, which was used as a core component for development of 2D computer role-playing games based on Dungeons & Dragons, such as Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale. For their game Neverwinter Nights, launched in 2002, Bioware developed the Aurora Engine, the basis for a number of successful computer and console 3D RPGs thereafter.

Neverwinter Nights shipped with a number of tools allowing users to create their own role-playing adventures for single and multiplayer online. The tools, using the Aurora Engine, have been adapted to many forms of gameplay and storytelling, with thousands of amateur and professional modules available on various web sites; some released for sale as premium content. Neverwinter Nights was a pioneering example of user-created game content commercially supported and distributed over the internet.

The Odyssey Engine was developed for the Xbox game Knights of the Old Republic, which was based on the Aurora Engine. BioWare is currently developing the Dragon Age Engine for the game Dragon Age.

After years of working with licensed content, particularly from the D&D world, BioWare began efforts to develop intellectual property that they would own. Jade Empire was a step in this direction, as are their current projects: the PC RPG Dragon Age and Mass Effect for Xbox 360, using the third version of the Unreal Engine. Bioware is also working on a new engine called 'the Eclipse engine' *.

BioWare is maintaining a limited oversight on the development of Neverwinter Nights 2 by Obsidian Entertainment. They previously oversaw Obsidian on their development of Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords in the same limited capacity.

Awards

In addition to numerous game awards, the company has been been awarded with a number of business related awards:

  • Canada's Top 100 Employers 2004 2005 *
  • Alberta's Top 100 Employers 2005 *
  • Profit 100 - Canada's Fastest Growing Companies 2005 (Rank 81)

The full list of awards can be found on their webpage *.

External links

Software companies of Canada | Computer and video game companies | Edmonton, Alberta | 1995 establishments

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