BioWare's Design Docs

An Interview with founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk
3/19/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 5

It's rare to find game developers as down-to-earth as BioWare founders Drs. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk.

Consider that the pair has shipped entire fleets of games; been responsible for an unprecedented string of RPG category-redefining hits (Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, Star Wars: KOTOR, etc.) dating back more than a decade; and recently sold their pride and joy to Electronic Arts alongside fellow studio Pandemic for nearly $800 million -- and all this after having already shifted the company once before, to venture capital firm Elevation Partners, which includes the likes of U2's Bono amongst its backers.

During the course of compiling this story, on no less than three separate occasions and at several events ranging from the 2008 Game Developers Conference to Toronto's GameOn Finance tradeshows, current and former employees regaled us with tales of the the now-multimillionaire pair's generosity and humble beginnings. Once upon a time, the dynamic duo actively practiced medicine several days a week just to keep the lights on at the once-fledgling development house.

As Hollywood as the industry becomes, they're the kind of developers who will remember you by name and always spare five minutes to discuss what's cooking up north at their headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta -- which, between an impending MMO, a long-awaited new fantasy outing Dragon Age, recent media controversy over Mass Effect (which Fox News erroneously tried to pass off as pornographic based on comments by an author who admitted on-air she'd never tried the game), and development of a new Sonic the Hedgehog role-playing title, is, as you'll see, quite a lot...

Crispy Gamer: Let's start at the beginning... You both are accredited medical professionals who went from treating laceration wounds to focusing on game design -- how in Hades did that come about, and how much did you disappoint your parents on that one?

Ray Muzyka: Greg and I both love medicine, but videogames have always been the main hobby for us both. We worked on [our initial title] Shattered Steel while we were both still practicing medicine, and one day at a lunch in late 1994, we both just decided to form BioWare and change careers from medical doctors to entrepreneurs. Our decision to do that actually only took about an hour!

Greg Zeschuk: Our families have always been very supportive of us, and a lot of BioWare's success would not have been possible without them.

Crispy Gamer: Since you opened the door, we'll ask: Shattered Steel isn't a game that's exactly in keeping with the rest of your creative works. Why, of all things, did you choose to kick things off with that title, and how did it lay the foundations for what was to come?

Zeschuk: Actually, Shattered Steel included a lot of elements that you'll see repeated in later BioWare titles -- things like a storyline and strong, iconic character designs. We had partnered with a strong group of contractors for Shattered Steel and they had a very cool prototype that we helped bring to market.

Crispy Gamer: How long have you been interested in role-playing, and how in god's name did you manage to produce Baldur's Gate, a title so far ahead of the competition at the time of its release that it instantly made your company the reigning regent of RPGs?