The Witcher - Recommended by BioWare
 

BioWare is trying to help The Witcher hype, with a front page message saying they "highly recommend" the game and linking to this special "BioWare Recommends…" entry page for the official site. An unusual PR move but they obviously figure BioWare's name alone carries clout.
More information.

Well of course they'd recommend it, it's using their engine :p

In return, they get a nice advert for the Aurora engine.

Have you ever thought that maybe Bioware (also) thinks it is a great game, too :)
Apart from the obvios marketing thingy. However, NWN2 also uses the Aurora engine, so on the back of the NWN2 box there is Bioware icon or symbol, too.

I think it is nice :) that a wellknown companu like Bioware is trying to help the new kid on the block :)

As far as I know, the developers of The Witcher has also worked with BioWare in the past. They translated BG2 into Polish or something some years ago. It's quite clear that the two companies know each other on some level.

Yeah. I'm pretty sure CDProjekt has published and translated all Bioware games.

I think Bioware and Atari ain't too happy with each other. Both companies seem willing to shoot themselves in the foot rather than working with each other anymore. Bio by refusing offers to develop games offered to them, and Atari by scuttling the Digital Download games being developed.

My point being, this is the reason Bio has done little to promote NWN2. They certainly had no interest in developing it themselves.

Another point too, this is a very foreign title without any name recognition (The Witcher?). NWN2 had a lot of built in market being a sequel.

I think it's safe to conclude that we can conclude nothing from this.

The Witcher looks interesting, and I'll be checking it out regardless. I really couldn't care less what Bioware thinks of it, genuinely or otherwise, and why would you? It's not like their opinion is magically connected to an objective truth moreso than any other.

Well said. I'm sure if Bioware thought the game was complete crap, they would still recommend it based on the engine tie in.

That's like saying Ensemble Studios "endorsing" a brand new RTS, from nobody, means nothing. Sure it does.

Whether or not you personally consider NWN's, KOTOR's, BG's, and any other well known rpg acronym associated with Bioware to be tru rpgs or not, they are widely viewed by the general populace as such. A "thumbs up" from Bioware is a pretty strong endorsement.

You are a big fat liar!!!!!!!!!! What Bioware says is very important to everyone that loves challenging rpgs with awseome combats! I wasn't even knowing or looking at the game until I saw this? Whicther who? Know I know because Bioware is a moral company that just wants to help some third world country company out, and they did because now I am buying this game. They where even voted the best country to work for in the world by Canada because they give money to poor black babies and they are very fun place to work for. Mass Affects will slobs on ur knobs chief-o.

Okay, maybe you are not a big fat lair. Maybe just really misinformed :)!!!!

roqua? roqua is that you?

Bio does host the NWN2 forums, which pretty much inherently ties the game to Bio in many minds.

Anyway, I don't think this newsbit reveals anything at all…it was more of a…curiosity.

Well its news either way. Bio did offer Freedom Force as as Digital Download one time. And this is very like Bio to do this sort of thing.

On the NWN2 forums, consider that Obsidian managed to collect about 30 000 registered users on their forums before they shut it down compared to Bioware's 2 million. I quit those forums as many of the members were were ex-Black Isle/Fallout fans.

In short, I'm pretty sure Bioware got paid.

A few comments here and there from the devs at the inflexibility they have on Bio's forums has shown to be having some frustration. The blogs they are posting on their own site tell me they'd like to get fans to migrate.

$10 says that Tom Ohle is not completely innocent here ;) .

This is just a bit… strange, no? When was the last time a big time studio posted a big fat valentine in the form of a splash page to a fledgling studio's first game?

I think they are bonking! :biggrin:

Well they were linked as Bioware did sell them the engine.
This happens in the FPS market to a lot, if someone buys Unreal or id, then there is a promo about the union, sInce games take 2-4 years we really don't here aboiut eveyday.

Let us not forgot that Greg and Ray once in an interview said that they enjoyed Gothic 3 very much. And as this is German studio with no connection to Bioware whatsoever, I'm pretty sure that Greg and Ray meant it.

Are you saying that Bioware wants to host the forums for 'the witcher'?

CD Projekt are Polish if I'm not completely mistaken.

And they do have a connection to Bioware, as they worked closely with them in translating the BG's and also adapting the Aurora engine. But I don't think it's all cynical on Bioware's part. They are being supportive of the genre, and that helps everyone--gamers and developers.

And that's why Mass Effect is having a Polish translation instead of a Spanish one, I think.

Bio aren't releasing any PC RPGs this year, so it makes sense for them to promote The Witcher. It looks to be a 'Bioware Style RPG', and it uses Bio's engine. If TW sells well, it'll help them to promote and sell DA. The two companies seem pretty friendly, and they've worked together in the past. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

I guess. But, it's one thing to voice support via an interview or a board post or whatever, but the big-wet-sloppy-kiss of a splash screen is taking it to a new level. Plus, what "back scratching" will Bioware get out of this that's anywhere near comparable to the benefits CDProjekt gets? Seems pretty disproportional to me. There's the Aurora engine, but it's not like Bioware's making anymore games with it. So really, it's just the Bioware icon on the box. Maybe that's enough. Maybe they are so confident W's going to do better in the states than any European RPG ever that they want to hitch their wagon to it now.

I dont see why there just has to be some sort of selfish ulterior motive involved. Maybe they like what they see.

You don't have to buy it just because Bioware recommend it.

First I saw of this was in the BioWare private forums, where people were… surprised… at this claim.

There's a difference between "using BioWare's engine" and "recommended by BioWare", and it's possible that that distinction is being missed due to translation issues. I don't specifically know that anyone at BioWare has seen enough inside information to make an intelligent recommendation, and I don't see a quote from any actual BioWare person on that flashy page.

Mind you, it's not like every decision at the company goes through me, so it's entirely possible that BioWare has officially recommended it. Still, for that kinda thing, I'd expect to see a quote. From, you know, Ray or Greg. Or something on BioWare's site.

I got the link from the BioWare site, Patrick. ;)

It's moved off the front page but it's halfway down the "more news" as I type.

Just what is wrong with Bio promoting it? I'm certain they are getting royalties for the engine and helped their NA distribution. They've certainly let it be known in NA and have an opportunity with it to license their engines to other companies.

Its not like this is Communist China. I'd play Seal of Evil if it was.

Hey, Seal of Evil isn't too bad!! I enjoyed much of it.

Just to clarify: I don't think there's anything "wrong" with it. It just seems… unusual. That's all.

The voice acting comes to mind when people complain about Two Worlds …

Well, then, I'm clearly an idiot. :biggrin:

Apparently we do highly recommend it!

Hehe. :) Just to be clear, I don't see anything wrong with it. It's unusual - hence I saw it as newsworthy - but not unprecedented. As someone pointed out, they did some sort of promo deal for Freedom Force a few years ago and that was a Gamebryo title.

In Soviet Russia, Video Games play you.

Lead The Witcher Programmer said, that guys from Bioware were playing long in TW Beta and they like it. Then Bioware recommended TW. They must be sure, that quality of product which is recomennded by them is very high.

Concerning what I've read about the concepts behind The Witcher, I regard this game as quite unusual in today's RPG mass market.

Therefore I find it quite good that this game with such a conceptual background gets "recommended". Maybe this is also a signal towards the rest of the industry out there that even a well-known firm supports a small company with one of the least mass-market compatible concepts behind a game.

The only thing that I'm kind of disappoionted is that the look of this game and the emnphasis on combat is rather more mass-market oriented - as fr as I've seen it this far - than I would expect by reading through the interviews explaining the background concepts only.

Really? You're surprised a game about a professional monster hunter has a focus on combat?

Since you put it THAT way … :D

Judging from what I've read in the interviews, a game not about a professional monster hunter would fit - as far as I understood it - with the background concepts much better.

I still don't get it, Alrik. I guess they could have made a game about anyone set in Sapkowski's world but Witcher's are professional monster hunters by definition - that's what they are.

I share your confusion - the game is called 'The Witcher', ad Witchers are monster hunters, and the game is heavily involved with monster hunting. And so … ?