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BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated Doctor of Medicine, medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zeschuk. Since 2007, the company has been owned by American publisher Electronic Arts. BioWare specializes in role-playing video games, and achieved recognition for developing highly praised and successful licensed franchises: ''Baldur's Gate'', ''Neverwinter Nights'', and ''Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic''. They proceeded to make several other successful games based on original intellectual property: ''Jade Empire'', the ''Mass Effect'' series, and the ''Dragon Age'' series. In 2011, BioWare launched their first massively multiplayer online role-playing game, ''Star Wars: The Old Republic''. History Foundation BioWare was founded by Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, alongside Trent Oster, his brother Brent, Zeschuk's cousin Marcel, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of BioWare Video Games
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. They signed a partnership with American publisher Interplay Productions to get investment and development resources for their first game ''Shattered Steel'', a mech simulation action game released in 1996. The game was a modest success, but BioWare's second title, ''Baldur's Gate'' (1998), achieved overwhelming critical praise and defined the company's future direction. A role-playing video game (RPG) based on ''Dungeons & Dragons'', ''Baldur's Gate'' sold more than two million copies and became the most successful ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game ever at the time. Two years later, the studio released an acclaimed sequel '' Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn'', which along with the use of BioWare game engines in RPGs such as '' Planescape: Torment'' (1999) and ''Icewind Dale'' (2000) helped propel the studio to the forefront of the computer RPG g ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mass Effect
''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the known universe using technology left behind by advanced precursor civilizations. The franchise originated in a series of video games developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. Each installment is a third-person shooter with role-playing elements. The first three games form a trilogy in which the player character, Commander Shepard, attempts to save the Milky Way galaxy from a race of ancient, hibernating machines known as the Reapers. The inaugural video game in the series, ''Mass Effect'' (2007), follows Shepard's investigation of Saren Arterius, one of the Reapers' agents. ''Mass Effect 2'' (2010) begins two years later and sees Shepard's forces battling the Collectors, an alien race abducting human colonies to facilitate the Reapers' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jade Empire
''Jade Empire'' is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare, originally published by Microsoft Game Studios in 2005 as an Xbox exclusive. It was later ported to Microsoft Windows personal computers (PC) and published by 2K Games in 2007. Later ports to macOS (2008) and mobile platforms (2016) were handled respectively by TransGaming and Aspyr. Set in a world inspired by Chinese mythology, players control the last surviving Spirit Monk on a quest to save their tutor Master Li and defeat the forces of corrupt emperor Sun Hai. The Spirit Monk is guided through a linear narrative, completing quests and engaging in action-based combat. With morality-based dialogue choices during conversations, the player can impact both story and gameplay progression in various ways. Development of ''Jade Empire'' began in 2001 as a dream project for company co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, who acted as the game's executive producers. Their first original role-playing intellectual prop ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the designers and programmers responsible for its games as "software artists." EA published numerous games and some productivity software for personal computers, all of which were developed by external individuals or groups until 1987's ''Skate or Die!''. The company shifted toward internal game studios, often through acquisitions, such as Distinctive Software becoming EA Canada in 1991. Currently, EA develops and publishes games of established franchises, including ''Battlefield'', ''Need for Speed'', ''The Sims'', ''Medal of Honor'', ''Command & Conquer'', ''Dead Space'', ''Mass Effect'', ''Dragon Age'', ''Army of Two'', ''Apex Legends'', and '' Star Wars'', as well as the EA Sports titles '' FIFA'', ''Madden NFL'', ''NBA Live'', ''NHL'', an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragon Age
''Dragon Age'' is a media franchise centered on a series of fantasy role-playing video games created and developed by BioWare, which have seen releases on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The franchise takes place on the fictional continent Thedas, and follows the experiences of its various inhabitants. The first game in the series, '' Dragon Age: Origins'', follows the story of a recent recruit to a legendary order of warriors known as the Grey Wardens. Their mission is to save the kingdom of Ferelden from being overrun by the Darkspawn, a monstrous race of subterranean-dwelling beings who swarm the surface world every few hundred years in a movement known as a Blight. A Blight begins when the darkspawn track down and awaken an Archdemon, a powerful dragon that controls the Darkspawn hordes. Its sequel ''Dragon Age II'' is centered around the eldest child of the Hawke family, a Blight refugee who moves their family to thei ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ray Muzyka
Raymond Alexander Muzyka is a Canadian investor, entrepreneur and physician. Originally trained as a medical doctor and practicing as an emergency department and family physician after graduation, he is the co-founder of video game developer BioWare, and was CEO, senior vice president, and general manager of the BioWare label of Electronic Arts. In October 2012 he announced that he was embarking on a 'third career' mentoring and angel investing in technology, new media, medical and social entrepreneurs, and impact investing at ThresholdImpact. Career Muzyka co-founded BioWare, which was incorporated in 1995, with Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, in the early 1990s after they earned their medical degrees at the University of Alberta. After selling BioWare to Electronic Arts in 2008, Muzyka became a general manager and vice president at EA in addition to his CEO role at BioWare, and subsequently was promoted to senior vice president and general manager of the BioWare label at EA. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greg Zeschuk
Gregory Zeschuk is a Canadian businessman who was a VP at Electronic Arts and General Manager at BioWare Austin until 2012. He co-founded video game developer BioWare in Edmonton in 1995 with Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip, after all three earned their medical degrees from the University of Alberta. Zeschuk announced his retirement from BioWare on September 18, 2012. He is currently involved in a number of projects related to the craft-beer industry, including the production of a web-based interview show known as "The Beer Diaries." Greg is also the chairman of the board of the smart playground technology startup, Biba Ventures based in Vancouver, BC. BioWare projects credited with platforms and dates * ''Shattered Steel'' (PC and Mac, 1996) * ''Baldur's Gate'' (PC and Mac, 1998) ** '' Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast'' (PC and Mac, 1999) * ''MDK2'' (Dreamcast and PC, 2000) * '' Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn'' (PC and Mac, 2000) ** '' Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baldur's Gate
''Baldur's Gate'' is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting. The game has spawned two series, known as the ''Bhaalspawn Saga'' and the ''Dark Alliance'', both taking place mostly within the Western Heartlands, but the Bhaalspawn Saga extends to Amn and Tethyr. The ''Dark Alliance'' series was released for consoles and was critically and commercially successful. The ''Bhaalspawn Saga'' was critically acclaimed for using pausable realtime gameplay, which is credited with revitalizing the computer role-playing game (CRPG) genre. The ''Bhaalspawn Saga'' was originally developed by BioWare for personal computers. In 2012, Atari revealed that Beamdog and Overhaul Games would remake the games in HD. The ''Dark Alliance'' series was originally set to be developed by Snowblind Studios, but ports were handled by Black Isle Studios, High Voltage Software, and Magic Pockets, with the second game developed by Black Isle. Bl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shattered Steel
''Shattered Steel'' is a mech simulation game released in 1996 by BioWare for MS-DOS, and later ported to Mac OS by now-defunct Logicware. It is notable for the deformable terrain effects, and for being BioWare's first developed game.BioWarBioware's Legacy page, accessed November 11, 2007. Story ''Shattered Steel'' takes place in a desolate future where humanity is on the verge of extinction. The single-player campaign takes place over 5 separate worlds (planets), each planet has about 20 missions. The enemy in the game is a group of aliens who are in some way or another organic, mechanical or a combination of both. Examples of this are the Aspis, a spider-like enemy with an organic look and the Wasp, a very mechanical looking air vehicle. As the story unfolds, more is discovered about who controls the aliens, what their purposes are, and how to destroy them once and for all. Gameplay The gameplay is similar in style to the '' MechWarrior'' video game series, featuring mechan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Role-playing Video Game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immersed in some well-defined world, usually involving some form of character development by way of recording statistics. Many role-playing video games have origins in tabletop role-playing games Adams, Rollings 2003, p. 347 and use much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. Other major similarities with pen-and-paper games include developed story-telling and narrative elements, player character development, complexity, as well as replay value and immersion. The electronic medium removes the necessity for a gamemaster and increases combat resolution speed. RPGs have evolved from simple text-based console-window games into visually rich 3D experiences. Characteristics Role-playing video games use much of the same terminology, s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neverwinter Nights
''Neverwinter Nights'' is a series of video games developed by BioWare and Obsidian Entertainment, based on the ''Forgotten Realms'' campaign setting of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. Aside from also being set in the Dungeons & Dragons world and around its city Neverwinter, it is unrelated to both the 1991 ''Neverwinter Nights'' online game and the 2013 online game called '' Neverwinter''. Overview The ''Neverwinter Nights'' series take place primarily in the city of Neverwinter, located in the Sword Coast region of the fictional land of ''Faerûn''. Also commonly referred to as the City of Skilled Hands, Neverwinter grew from a multi-racial settlement named ''Eigersstor'' founded several hundred years prior to the start of ''Neverwinter Nights''. At the time the first game takes place, the city of Neverwinter was beset by a magical plague named the Wailing Death, whereas in the second game the city is threatened by an invasion from its ancient enemy named the Ki ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Elevation Partners
Elevation Partners was an American private equity firm that invested in intellectual property, technology and media companies. The firm had $1.9 billion of assets under management. The firm was founded in 2004 and was headquartered in New York City and Menlo Park, California. In the years 2012–2015, their assets were acquired by other companies, with portfolio under the name Elevation Partners closing in 2015. Some members of the board formed a company called "NextEquity Partners", which invests in similar sites. Rock musician Bono went on to co-found "The Rise Fund", dedicated to improving the United Nations' seven sectors of sustainable development. History Founding Elevation Partners was founded by former Silver Lake Partners professionals Roger McNamee and Marc Bodnick, as well as Fred Anderson (Apple Inc.) and John Riccitiello (Electronic Arts). Elevation is perhaps best known for its association with Bono, lead singer of the musical group U2, who joined the company sho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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