Skimming through the Interweb this morning, we stumbled upon statements made by BioWare's Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka, spelling out their interest in creating games more reliant on story than combat. Well no duh, guys. However, digging deeper, we found that the BioWare docs aren't just talking about the usual marriage of story and gameplay that their studio focuses on, but removing combat nearly entirely from games in the future.

"We talk a certain amount internally about whether you need to have combat as part of the experience ... are there possibilities to actually start separating pieces of the game and actually tailor it to the audience," Zeschuk said to GamesIndustry.biz. "There are different audiences that would maybe just enjoy the story," he continued, hinting at the possibility of future BioWare games without any violent actions whatsoever. Though we're inclined to point to the plethora of adventure games out there, we're more hopeful for a Jade Empire sequel with extra spoonfuls of violence rather than too much reliance on story. We can hope, can't we?

An upcoming patch to Mass Effect Galaxy promises to increase performance on "lower-end devices" by an "estimated 50%," according to BioWare's official Twitter account. Released on June 22, Mass Effect Galaxy is the iPhone OS-exclusive title which details some of the backstory for characters featured in the upcoming Mass Effect 2. According to users on BioWare's official forum, the app runs at a pace similar to that of the original game's infamous elevator system (read: hella slow). BioWare promises the patch will release within the next ten days -- just enough time to finish loading the elevator sequence shown above.

It's nice to see that the fantasies we had of the newly merged BioWare and Mythic Entertainment living, loving and playing together under one roof Brady Bunch-style aren't that far off. Ray Muzyka (he's the Greg Brady in our metaphor) says that, while no collaboration between the two powerhouses is in the works, "in the future there could be co-development. ... I know the guys at Mythic, and in Edmonton, Austin, and Montreal are all really excited about this."

Now, we just have to hope Drew Karpyshyn can avoid breaking Carrie Gouskos' nose with a football before her big date with Doug.

Unlike the first Mass Effect, the sequel will not allow players to restart the campaign with all the skills Shepard gained throughout his (um, her!) second adventure. Mass Effect 2 Lead Designer Preston Watamaniuk notes on the BioWare forums that the team is working hard to "offer a smooth progression into ME3 from ME2." The reasoning is that they "have to have reasonable knowledge" of where a character could end up at the end of the game.

Of course, Mass Effect 2 players can feel free to create a new character and start over. So, it appears that if you're looking to start Mass Effect 3 with a jacked-up Shepard, make sure to explore every little nook and cranny of the galaxy before going into the sequel's final mission.

[Via Kotaku]

Mark Jacobs' unforeseen exit from Warhammer Online developer Mythic, a departure made known during the revelation of the BioWare/Mythic merger, left many fans and colleagues stunned and confused. In a lengthy post on his personal blog, Jacobs explained the reasoning for his evacuation -- he actually left the company early in May, when EA informed him that "they wanted to make some changes within the Games Label." Since that day, he's been out of contact from the rest of the Mythic team.

However, he's not ready to talk smack about the gaming industry juggernaut that forced the changes upon his studio -- Jacobs explained, "Over my 23 years of making games professionally I have refrained from attacking the competition, former and/or current partners, other game developers," and so on. You're a stronger man than us, Mr. Jacobs.

[Via Massively]

Continuing its coverage of the Mythic / BioWare merger announced earlier today, Massively reports that Mythic employees were taken aback by the departure of studio head Mark Jacobs. An anonymous Mythic employee told Massively, "I can't even fathom Mark leaving a company he loved so much, it was his life. Personally, I can't see that this is voluntary in any shape or form."

As for the merger itself, the employee stated that the staffs of both studios were informed of the decision this morning. Employees were assured that no one was being let go, and Massively's source said that all employees of both companies were heading to a movie theater this afternoon to be addressed by new Group General Manager Ray Muzyka.

When asked if Jacobs' departure might be related to the subscription numbers of Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, the source stated, "The numbers aren't that bad, and last I heard the numbers were back on the rise," adding, "I know the game was making money."

Overall, the source said that the mood is positive at Mythic, expressing that "a lot of people" at the studio would like to work on Star Wars: The Old Republic. The source concluded by saying that the employees of Mythic "will continue to go on without their fearless leader."

EA is mushing up Mythic and BioWare into one team led by BioWare's General Manager, Ray Muzyka. The new "RPG/MMO studio group" will have BioWare's Greg Zeschuk as the "group creative officer." Mythic's General Manager, Mark Jacobs, who oversaw the less-than-successful Warhammer Online, has apparently been shown the door. Rob Denton, who was the chief operating officer at Mythic, will now become general manager and report to Muzyka.

Upon contacting EA, BioWare and Mythic, we were informed that a formal announcement would be made later in the day. We'll update as we hear more.

[Via Massively]

One way to look at Mass Effect Galaxy, the newly released iPhone game tie-in, is as an interactive DLC code ($4.99) for Mass Effect 2. AppGamer.net confirms that, upon completion, Galaxy displays the following message: "Your reward for completing the game is already waiting for you in Mass Effect 2."

The so-called reward is apparently transferred from Galaxy to ME2 via an EA Account (more info), but its identity remains a mystery for now -- and perhaps until you buy ME2. Our best guess is that the reward is an enhanced weapon or armor suit designed for Galaxy's main character, Jacob Taylor, who is also a companion character in ME2, and that it's an entirely negligible unlockable for all but the most obsessive completionist. The majority of reactions in the Touch Arcade forums suggest that the game itself is just as unimportant, if not downright degrading to the franchise. Proceed with caution.

[Thanks, Chris]

If the months standing between you and the trials and terminations of Mass Effect 2 are driving you out of your gourd, some momentary respite might just be on its way. An announcement regarding the DLC for the original Mass Effect which was teased during E3 "may be coming this week," according to a recent tweet from the BioWare Twitter feed. "Keep your eyes peeled," said tweet warns (with little consideration for our ocular health).

With the good Doctors' promise that said announcement would come "soon" after E3, DLC news dropping before the end of the month certainly makes sense -- then again, the party responsible for the aforementioned tweet was a gentleman known as "Evil Chris," a moniker that doesn't exactly fill us with confidence.

Most MMO players are already deeply entrenched within their virtual world of choice -- an irrefutable fact that makes it extremely difficult for developers to break into the online realm. Competition between MMO devs is as heated as you might expect -- though BioWare isn't too concerned about other massive titles as it continues to push its upcoming online debut, Star Wars: The Old Republic, through the development process.

BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk summarized the developer's feelings on its fellow denizens of the MMOscape with a simple comparison -- in a recent interview with Gamasutra, Zeschuk explained, "If you're betting on Jedi versus orcs, that's a good bet." From what we've seen of the game, we'd probably bet on its rich cutscenes and unprecedented capacity for MMORPG storytelling -- but, hey, Jedi are pretty great too, we guess.

Speaking to IndustryGamers.com, BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka said that the renowned RPG dev is "intrigued by the idea of developing on Wii," but that it has "nothing to announce right now." Right now?

"We do have some unannounced projects that we're not ready to talk about yet, and they are different from some things we've done in the past," Muzyka continued. He stated that "[BioWare's] goal, really long-term, is to broaden our base and continue to differentiate and have diversity of choice on different platforms, because we know there are different audiences on platforms like mobile and Wii."

If it were to create a title for Nintendo's console, BioWare would strongly consider "[what] the Wii audience [is] looking for, and what would we want to deliver that has emotionally powerful narrative?," adding that it "probably wouldn't be exactly the same as everything else we do; we did a DS game and that was already very different from what we've done before." Actually, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (the game in question) was an RPG -- and a very good one at that -- that exploited the DS hardware nicely. We imagine Wii owners would be plenty happy to play something that is as tailored made for their systems.

While speaking to BioWare's leaders slash doctors, Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka, Joystiq managed to confirm that the second batch of DLC for Mass Effect (that's the first game!) would be announced and detailed soon. According to Muzyka, he was even playing it at the BioWare office slash fortress before departing for E3 2009.

Previously, it was suggested that the next Mass Effect DLC would include some sort of fight club or arena setup. So, lots of shooting in preparation for some real shooting, then.

We know, we know. The first Mass Effect was also a "shooter" (note: in quotes), but after demoing a slice of combat in the sequel, we're dropping the quotes. Mass Effect 2 is a shooter -- if you want to play it that way.

BioWare dropped us into the role of a Soldier-class Commander Shepard and set us loose upon several waves of robotic and human combatants, as we traversed a few outdoor corridors. Our first thought was, uh-oh, Shepard's still stiff on his feet (loosen up, guy, you move like a tank). But as we pressed up against the first barrier (cover is actually useful!), and rose up our assault rifle, taking aim down sights, it all clicked.

There's an unnavigable divide between the world of MMORPGs and the art of good storytelling. Not writing, mind you -- the gang at Blizzard know their way around a word processor -- but rather, the actual sharing of a story. It's not a genre that supports the relaying of intricate plotlines. Most players are in it for the grind, for social status or notoriety. The option to enable "text skipping" doesn't exactly lend itself to plot development. Even if the mass interest was there, all of the game's players are receiving the same storyline. No choice, no branching, no consequences.

Attempting to build a bridge with which to cross this divide would be an extremely ambitious undertaking. Fortunately, Bioware is a studio well versed in ambition -- and, if our brief time with the game is any indication, Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to irrevocably change the way MMOs tell stories.

Despite being set in ye olde fantasy lands of impossibly large swords and questionable female attire, there's something anachronistic about Dragon Age: Origins. An uncomfortable, zealously juvenile spirit seems to permeate the dragon-slaying proceedings, a feeling that seems to linger even after the game's obnoxious marketing has left the room. Paring BioWare's scenes of war and blood and guts with a Marilyn Manson tune is such a strained ploy, it's almost embarrassing.

The thing is, not all of Dragon Age's awkwardness comes from the suits on the upper floor -- sometimes they come from the clothes discarded in front of a romantic campfire. BioWare is really playing up your character's playboy tendencies, chatting up members of his party, plying them with gifts (that have immediate stats and ability benefits) and weighing up his futures with the adorable redhead or the hard-edged sorceress. It's wrapped up in BioWare's traditional dialogue menus (a strange regression from Mass Effect), but approached -- at least in EA's E3 walkthrough -- with the verve of Grey's Anatomy. And you thought leathery-skinned fire breathers were the only things those two had in common.