Bioware To Conquer Mmorpg

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.