BioWare - LucasArts Collaboration Announced

Dhruin

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Well, well, well. BioWare and LucasArts have announced a collaboration to produce an unnamed "interactive entertainment product" and have launched a joint website at www.lucasartsbioware.com with this press release:
SAN FRANCISCO, CA and EDMONTON, CANADA — October 30, 2007 — LucasArts and BioWare Corp. today announced that they have entered into an agreement to create an interactive entertainment product. The product, details of which will be unveiled at a later date, will be developed and published by BioWare and LucasArts, and will push the boundaries of the gaming market by utilizing the strengths of both companies to deliver an innovative, high-quality experience.
“LucasArts has a deep commitment to developing compelling stories and characters for the unique medium of interactive entertainment, and we have been searching for a developer that shares this value. We found this in BioWare,” said Jim Ward, president of LucasArts. “Through our previous collaborations, we know that BioWare has an impressive ability to blend gripping stories with technological advancements, and we believe that our upcoming product will deliver an experience that will span the traditional boundaries of video game entertainment.”
“BioWare’s mission is to deliver the best story and character-driven games in the world, delivering powerful emotional experiences to our fans.” said Ray Muzyka, chief executive officer, BioWare Corp. Added Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare Corp., “The collaboration with LucasArts allows us to combine our passion for creating high quality and innovative experiences with those of a company dedicated to bringing only the finest games to market.
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possible outcomes of giant megacompany EA/Lucasarts collaboration anyone?
 
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Okay, so Bio is really working on a Star Wars MMO ?!
 
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I've argued many times that I didn't think BioWare was working on a Star Wars MMO, so let me clearly say - I was wrong.

I'm disappointed BioWare has taken this entire road. In hindsight, they had absolutely no intention of remaining independent and sticking to original IP.
 
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Hmm.. EA, Lucas Arts, Star Wars, Xbox, MMORPGs... yuck!
Bioware seems to be doing everything in their power
to become uninteresting and disgusting :(

Sad. Very sad. I don't like any of this.
 
Are you really that surprised? There have been rumors for about a year now.

The thing I don't get is LA is going to publish EA's new MMO O_O This would be a first. A publisher internally develops a game which is then published by another publisher :lol:

Sorcha, I'd rather have KotOR3 :)
 
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I play mmorpgs but I probably wouldn't play this since I only play free to play games. I hope people are wrong and it is either kotor 3 or a new single player rpg based on star wars.
 
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Very great news, imo!

Anyway, woohoo for KOTOR MMORPG !!! I hope this nails the lid of SOE's SWG coffin forever. Also I hope KOTORO has PvP !!! And I hope I can be a robot maker.

I am excited. Darkfall Online is comin early next year, with Conan Online, Warhammer Online, then at end of year Stargate Worlds. And now KOTOR where I can be a jedi. OMFG I am never gonna see the sun next year. I'm in heaven.
 
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I've argued many times that I didn't think BioWare was working on a Star Wars MMO, so let me clearly say - I was wrong.

I'm disappointed BioWare has taken this entire road. In hindsight, they had absolutely no intention of remaining independent and sticking to original IP.

ya gotta make sure you don't count your chickens before they're hatched.

I think the next question, after than the new EA/Lucasarts relationship, is will this be XBox Live stuff or PC?
 
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ya gotta make sure you don't count your chickens before they're hatched.

I think the next question, after than the new EA/Lucasarts relationship, is will this be XBox Live stuff or PC?

*shrug*. Don't care. I listened to Muzyka talk independence and original IP but the result is EA and Star Wars -- or do you think they'll do something original? No, I don't either. Star Wars MMO seems overwhelmingly likely. Which means they are focused on a WoW-killer (because no way is LucasArts accepting modest subscriber numbers after SWG), which is probably how this whole selling off to a venture capital firm to sell to EA thing started.
 
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The thing I don't get is LA is going to publish EA's new MMO O_O This would be a first. A publisher internally develops a game which is then published by another publisher :lol:

LA doesn´t have their own logistics. The newsbit mentions LA and Bio as co-publishers. This means EA will take over Bio´s part and also move the boxes. There´s no way EA will allow somebody else to ship their MMO - unless the contracts were already signed when they bought Bio. Which is unlikely.
 
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What, nobody thinks this will be a Monkey Island MMO?

A new Star Wars MMO would be fine with me, a KOTOR MMO would be beyond horrible though. The focus of KOTOR is that the PC is a Jedi, hence the name of the game. An MMO where everyone is a Jedi would be abysmal to the point of sickness-inducing.
A Star Wars MMO tagged with the KOTOR name for brand recognition would be lame.

That said, if BioWare can, somehow, pull of a good, story-driven MMO with in-depth character building and advancement with real impact on the gameworld, I'll be more than intrigued. But story-driven and MMO are, as near as I can tell, mutually exclusive elements.
 
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Lucas and Bioware are making a game. Ok.

I want to hear the real news, though. Somebody please pick up the phone and get a SOE comment. I said it in a few of the rumor threads, there is no way in heck Lucas can back two competeing MMOs based on Star Wars.
 
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Nowhere does it says its gonna be "MMO"...why does everybody think it will be MMO, that too based on KotOR universe?? KotOR 3 seems likely to me, though I am just being hopeful here.
 
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Might end up being an excellent MMO though, BioWare is one of the few developers to actually make something solid in the SW universe, so there's loads of potential here.

We'll see in time. :)
 
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My interest raised like 0,1%. Lets see again in 4-5 years and even then they just might launch yet another turd. Bioware/Lucasarts are good but when it comes to mmogs I trust no one.
 
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Sorcha, I'd rather have KotOR3 :)

Oh, I fully agree. The smiley was more to indicate that the rumors seem to be true now anyway. I suppose it was meant sarcastically.

While I do like my MMORPGs every now and again, in the Star Wars universe I want to be that one unique hero (like in KoToR, or like Luke in the movies), not jedi number 461234 killing 10 sandpeople to get a new belt of +10 midi-chlorians.

It's a shame, but we already suspected Bioware sold out on the whole independent making-games-we-want-to-make-thing the moment they went over to EA.

Aditya: No, it doesn't say MMORPG anywhere, but we've known for quite a while now that Bioware is working on Dragon Age, a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG and a yet to be unnamed MMORPG. It just seems to make the most sense that MMORPG is going to be set in the KOTOR universe now.
Galaxies didn't do that well and has been around for a few years now, it wouldn't surprise me if EA, bioware and LucasArts are keen on cashing in on the whole MMORPG thing.

I could be very wrong ofcourse, and I kind o hope I am, another KoTor would be far higher on my wishlist.
 
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Nowhere does it says its gonna be "MMO"...why does everybody think it will be MMO, that too based on KotOR universe?? KotOR 3 seems likely to me, though I am just being hopeful here.

Point taken.

“Through our previous collaborations, we know that BioWare has an impressive ability to blend gripping stories with technological advancements, and we believe that our upcoming product will deliver an experience that will span the traditional boundaries of video game entertainment.”

Maybe they will resurrect the "Interactive Movie". Like all those adventure games of the late 80s and early 90s.
 
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