Oooooh Bioware MMORPG

gelfling · Unread post by **gelfling** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 5:52 am

From: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/ne ... ?id=135556

BIOWARE TO CONQUER MMORPG

New Texan studio planned in Austin as the world's leading RPG specialist goes all massively multiplayer

15:56 BioWare, the Canadian-based RPG specialist behind such classics as KOTOR, Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate and Jade Empire - as well as forthcoming Xbox 360 sci-fi RPG Mass Effect - is opening a new studio in the heart of Austin, Texas with the specific intention of conquering massively multiplayer gaming.
With a well-deserved rep as one of the world's leading RPG specialists, this will be Bioware's first foray into the murky but increasingly lucrative world of MMORPGs. BioWare's Austin team is being headed up by creative director James Ohlen - joining as lead designer after work on KORTOR, NN and Baldur's Gate - alongside Richard Vogel, who helped launch Ultima Online, and Gordon Walton, previously a VP and Exec Producer at Sony Online Entertainment.

Of course the prospect of BioWare creating its own World of Warcraft-killer is an enticing one, but for the moment the company remains tight-lipped regarding what exactly we might be in for. As to platform, well we'd have to take an educated guess at PC or Xbox 360, given the company's strong PC heritage and ongoing development of Mass Effect, but as to subjext matter and milieu, well who knows?
Jade Empire Online might be a fair bet, or perhaps an offshoot of its Mass Effect sci-fi universe? We have to stress both names are sheer guesswork on our part and only time will tell, but BioWare plus MMORPG equals damn interesting game in our book. We'll keep 'em peeled and hope to bring you more as soon as possible.

John Houlihan

gelfling · Unread post by **gelfling** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 5:53 am

There is only one appropriate response to news of this magnitude:

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!!
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh!
wahoooooooo!
*does the dance of joy*
*leaps up and down in circles doing the dance of joy*
*checks for the geek police*
*coast is clear: resumes dance of joy!*

ahem.

gelfling · Unread post by **gelfling** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:01 am

www.bioware.com

for more info.

Bioware have had a good record of listening to their players and responding to them both in their fora and in their end products. Here's hoping for something set in Faerun

http://forums.bioware.com/viewtopic.htm ... 0&forum=41

http://www.bioware.com/bioware_info/pre ... 15_Austin/

tbh I think this may well turn out to be Dragon Age which is in development but I'd really love to see a proper NWN MMORPG or BGII.

Heck.... hmmmmm oooooooooh
Here's a thought...

SWG II ?

OOOOH!

Anach · Unread post by **Anach** » Tue Mar 14, 2006 11:39 pm

spam ^^

gelfling · Unread post by **gelfling** » Wed Mar 15, 2006 12:06 am

I believe your "spam" was spam

Athela · Unread post by **Athela** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:23 pm

1Up reports Neverwinter nights 2 comes out in September.
I'm actually hoping Bioware makes an mmorpg from one of their own IP games, and that it is *not* Star Wars. I suspect they will announce at E3 what the mmorpg will be.

gelfling · Unread post by **gelfling** » Fri Apr 14, 2006 9:54 pm

I'd love to see Bioware make a Star Wars MMO. If LucasArts leave them alone to be really creative with it, I think they will make something excellent and worthy of those of us who've loved Star Wars from the beginning.

Personally I want to see more Amn/Faerun stuff from Bioware. I want to roam around in an MMO and hang out with Minsc, Viconia etc. I want to visit the UnderDark and run from Mind Flayers.

But.. the market is saturated with fantasy MMOs although I would like to see Bioware kick DDO and WoW's proverbial

I'd like to see them do a SciFi MMO. I know they could come up with something original and absorbing.

If they do intend to announce at E3 then we only have a little longer to wait

OOH!

ATB,
me