News has came in that EA has combined the operations of BioWare and Mythic to form a new RPG/MMO studio group. EA had the following to say on this announcement:
This newly formed team will be led by Ray Muzyka, co-founder and general manager of BioWare,” the company said in a statement. With this change, Ray becomes group general manager of the new RPG/MMO studio group. BioWare’s other co-founder, Greg Zeschuk will become group creative officer. BioWare’s studios remain unchanged and continue to report to Ray.
BioWare will unveil the second downloadable content update for Mass Effect–which will act as a mini-prequel to Mass Effect 2, due out in early 2010. The official Twitter pages for both BioWare and Mass Effect 2 are promising new information on the still-untitled expansion by Friday.
Some very early footage has been leaked of Mass Effect 2, recorded on what seems to be a phone. Possibly taken from GDC as BioWare were said to have shown a brief gameplay snippet of the sequel at the session last week. Its not meant to be viewed by the general public so dont be surprised that its so brief and basic.
You can view & comment on the video on our forums here.
At the GDC, BioWare were kind enough to show off a brief snippet the gameplay from Mass Effect 2 at GDC. A member of the audience recorded footage of the gameplay on their camera and uploaded it to their YouTube page. The footage includes an early look at some of Mass Effect 2’s level design, some in-game combat, as well as a quick dialogue scene. However, we can’t confirm that any of the content in the video will be available in the final release of Mass Effect 2, as the game is still in the early stages of development or, according to sources, post-alpha stage. Mass Effect 2 is rumoured to be out by March 2010.
EA have recently released a press release confirming details of the upcoming sequel to Biowares highly acclaimed Sci-Fi RPG Mass Effect. The Press Release states the following:
Leading video game developer BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today officially announced Mass Effect 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the multi award-winning 2007 hit, Mass Effect. The Mass Effect trilogy is a masterful science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life forms and mysterious uncharted planets. In this dark second chapter, Saren’s evil army of Geth soldiers has just been defeated, and humans, who are still struggling to make their mark on the galactic stage, are now faced with an even greater peril…
“We’re going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA.
“Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action.”
Mass Effect 2 is coming to PC and the Xbox 360 video game system in Early 2010.
Thanks to forum member rhett_thom for bringing this to my attention on the boards. BioWare are forming a new studio group within Electronic Arts Montreal, and will be hiring 30 new staffers to support the team developing Mass Effect 2 in Edmonton. BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka had the following to say about this:
Our new presence… will be located within the existing EA Montreal facilities. It’s great that we have a strong foundation to build out of. We’ll be working together with our friends at EA Montreal. There’s a great studio here continuing full-force with a whole bunch of really cool, exciting things as well. The new studio and project won’t affect existing projects at EA Montreal. Neither will BioWare’s existing work on Dragon Age and Star Wars: The Old Republic in Austin be affected.
BioWare community coordinator Chris Priestly had the following to say about an upcoming PC patch:
We have been watching the different Mass Effect PC forum communities and gathering your feedback on issues encountered while playing Mass Effect PC. Thank you all for taking the time to provide feedback to help us make Mass Effect PC a better game.
BioWare is pleased to announce there will be a new patch for Mass Effect for the PC coming soon.
This patch will be jointly developed by BioWare and Demiurge and will be available for all versions of Mass Effect PC (retail, Steam and other digital distribution sources).
When we have more information on the content of the patch or when it will be available, we will let you know.