27-Dec-2003 The developer of the amazing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic slips under the mistletoe with us for a big gaming snog King of the role-playing genre BioWare is more often associated with the PC platform, the Baldur's Gate series and Neverwinter Nights being two of its big hitters on the beige box.
However, this year saw the developer lead with a major RPG title on console - that game was, of course, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on Xbox, and it's fair to say that the game went down a storm.
For BioWare 2003 has been a good year, and with its RPG Jade Empire coming to Xbox next year and two other secrets projects (one of which is for PC) on the go, the future looks bright indeed.
We recently caught up with the developer's joint CEOs Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk to get their thoughts on the videogames of the past year, potential future developments in the RPG genre and to discover what they think is going to be hot in 2004.
Has 2003 been a good year for videogames, in your opinion? What have been some of your own personal highlights of the year? And what titles have you/seen played in recent times that you would say have pushed the boundaries of videogames?
Dr. Ray Muzyka: Greg and I (and everyone else at BioWare) try to play almost everything that comes out - we play a variety of games in multiple genres and on all systems. So there are a lot of really good games to talk about in this regard... Having said that, there are some standout titles in recent years (I'm extending the timeframe a bit here from just 2003 to include some games released in the past few years as well).
I think Grand Theft Auto (and also Vice City) was successful as an action game for a number of reasons, among them the degree of perceived freedom that it imparted to players. Halo on Xbox was a brilliant FPS - probably the best FPS I've played on a console, and it was great to see a console FPS finally measure up successfully with the great FPS titles like Half-Life on PC.
A couple years ago I really enjoyed Max Payne with its 'bullet-time' and the original Deus Ex on PC with its freedom in world interactivity. Some recent console platformers like Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter also did some great things.
I'd also hope that fans see that some of BioWare's recent RPG titles are pushing the envelope - for example, Neverwinter Nights was unprecedented in its ability to allow modding and fan-created content (with over 3000 free fan-created mods now available for download and more mods than ever being released following on the release of the Hordes of the Underdark expansion this Christmas it's arguably the most-modded game in existence).
And Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was probably one of the most cinematic/immersive role-playing experiences on console and PC in recent times, what with the full voice over and lip-synching on all characters, and the ability to meaningfully role-play as either a good or evil Jedi and have your choices impact the storyline.
We hope that our upcoming Xbox action-RPG Jade Empire further pushes the envelope as a martial arts role-playing game, providing ability to role-play as either good or evil and an completely unique (for role-playing games that is) combat system.
Looking at the flip-side of the coin, what for you have been the low-points in the videogame world in 2003?
Dr. Greg Zeschuk: I think one of the most unfortunate things happening in the industry today is the demise of the small independent developer (at least those that are trying to follow the usual commercial model of retail packaged games).
It really is unavoidable as the industry consolidates and matures, but it's a real shame to hear about all of the independent companies shutting down, particularly in the UK.
How difficult is it as a developer to remain unique (in terms of games) or come up with unique ideas for games?
Dr. Greg Zeschuk: One of the main challenges for all independent developers is carving out a space in which they can operate freely, rather than be caught up in either doing licences or ports.
We've been very fortunate at BioWare because we have a strong track record in the RPG space, and as a result we can now launch new IPs like Jade Empire with publishing partners like Microsoft.
It took us a long time to earn the ability to make our own IPs (we've been making games since 1994), and we're taking advantage of it with an upcoming PC game and some other things coming down the pipe. It is really hard to truly be unique and independent if you want to try and launch big games through the big publishers, but it is still a worthwhile goal.
In which key area or areas would you most like to see the RPG progress over the next couple of years?
Dr. Ray Muzyka: We see the role-playing game genre as being quite broad, with story and character interaction being the core elements of a 'BioWare RPG'. Hence, we think it's quite possible to successfully merge elements of other genres into RPGs - for example, with Jade Empire we're merging elements of action games and martial arts combat with a strong role-playing system.
One of the most exciting areas for me personally is seeing games merge elements of different types of genres in this fashion.
It's also great to see games including realistic simulation (physics, artificial intelligence, and so on) - all these elements help make a role-playing experience that much more believable and immersive.
Where do you see technology taking us, in terms changes/advancements it will allow developers bring to the RPG genre?
Dr. Greg Zeschuk: As a developer focusing on character and story development, BioWare is very excited about the great technology coming down the pipe because it will allow us to develop even more immersive experiences.
Our character technology is becoming ultra-realistic, and the environments our characters inhabit are becoming even more stunning. Considering the immersive leap from Baldur's Gate to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic; it's very exciting to image what we'll be able to do with future games like Jade Empire and our other secret projects.
If you could wave a magic wand and create your dream game right now, what would that game be?
Dr. Ray Muzyka: We're working on three new games, all set in BioWare-created intellectual properties, right now. One of these is Jade Empire (www.jade-empire.com), an Xbox action-RPG due for release in late 2004 (to be published by Microsoft) where you can role-play as a martial arts master.
The other two titles aren't yet announced, but we have said that one of them is a PC RPG inspired by our own past work on both the Baldur's Gate series and Neverwinter Nights. All three of these games are truly our 'dream games' at BioWare - since we have the freedom to develop the worlds and gameplay afresh, we're really excited about all three of them!
Finally, what game(s) are you most looking forward to in 2004?
Dr. Greg Zeschuk: Half-Life 2 is of course one of the big games to look forward to, as are Doom 3 and Halo 2. Things look a little lean on the RPG front - I'm not sure when Final Fantasy XII is coming out but I'll definitely take a look at that when it comes out. There are probably a whole host of other games to consider, but I'm still working through my giant pile of Christmas games.
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