Portfolio.com just published a short excerpt of its interview with EA boss John Riccitiello who tells the site that it's "got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development" including "the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about -- in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare." One doesn't need to connect too many dots to arrive at the conclusion that BioWare is returning to the Star Wars universe with a Knights of the Old Republic MMO.

Of course, this product has been rumored for ... well, for a long time. Separately confirming a BioWare / LucasArts collaboration and a BioWare MMO project lead to certain obvious conclusions and countless other rumors and leaks seemed to do everything but confirm (and some denied) the project's existence. Though it would appear Riccitiello wasn't quite ready to put a name on that project – it's Portfolio.com connecting those dots – by referencing that this is the game that "people are dying for us to talk to them about" he clearly seems to be pointing to KOTOR.

[Update: We've just spoken with N. Evan Van Zelfden, the writer of the report, who told us that when asked specifically if this game was "KOTOR Online", Riccitiello responded unequivocally, "Yes." So, there you have it – sounds like we can take off our skeptical glasses.]

BioWare's Greg Zeschuk told attendees at the Electronic Arts that the Dragon Age franchise will, at some point, cross the PC threshold and head into the realm of consoles. A vague release window like that isn't reassuring to those hoping for a day-and-date multiplatform, but we don't expect the wait for some sort of console Dragon Age game to last too long.

"Dragon Age: Origins is a dark heroic fantasy that doesn't pull any punches. Our fans are in for the most emotionally intense gaming experience we've ever created, and we hope to surprise them with just how dark and gritty it gets!" says Bioware co-General Manager and CEO, Ray Muzyka. EA has released new details regarding the highly anticipated and titularly tweaked RPG, Dragon Age: Origins, with the glut of said details describing it as the bestest most amazingest thing ever. And, much like the latest Harry Potter film, it's the darkest one yet.

Aside from hooking up your heart strings to a tractor and driving off, Dragon Age promises "epic" and scalable party-based combat, numerous magic spells which can be combined for "emergent unique effects," deep customization, and an "emotionally compelling" story that tasks you with choosing sides, forming alliances and choosing your avatar's origin. Add in some "credible digital actors" and you have, well, just what you'd expect from the folks that brought us Mass Effect.

The no-punch-pulling, dark and gritty Dragon Age: Origins is out on PC in early 2009. We'll be sure to update this post with more media assets as soon as we receive them.

Bioware recently released not one, not seven, but two trailers for their recently re-monikered RPG, Dragon Age: Origins. They're nearly identical -- the video you see above shows off the undeniable strength of canine artillery; the trailer posted after the break shows one poor soldier taking a crash course in Monster Oral Hygiene 101. While it does remind us of a certain rain-soaked siege from a certain moderately successful book and film series, Bioware looks to know their own way around an intense, large-scale battle. Hopefully we'll get to see some gameplay during this week's big event, a large-scale siege in its own right.

It turns out yesterday's big Dragon Age reveal -- after years of silence -- was to dump a bucket of MS Paint all over the game's logo. Voilà! Dragon Age: Origins. Same game ... slightly different name.

The new game site does hint at a world builder feature, which BioWare faithful may remember from the first Neverwinter Nights. "Are you a world builder or modder? We have epic news for you but our cruel masters have forbidden us from speaking on pain of death," teases a message on the site. TiVo alert: GameTrailers TV will air the debut Dragon Age: Origins trailer at 1:00am Saturday (aka Friday night) on Spike TV.

[Via Big Download]

Ask a hundred PC game developers about piracy, and you're likely to come away with at least as many ideas on how to keep games from being flown beneath the Jolly Roger. There's even those who have thrown up their arms already, sailing instead for calmer console waters or opting just to keep piracy 'in perspective.' However, when it comes to Mass Effect dev BioWare, fighting piracy is as trivial as simply making games that people want to buy by nurturing customer fidelity through DLC and engaging multiplayer options.

"That's ultimately the best, most successful path to prevent piracy," noted BioWare's co-CEO Ray Muzyka, "to have players that want your games, want to believe in them and think they're high-quality and realize they're going to get a lot of value out of them as platforms for long time afterwards." It's a great theory, though we imagine that getting players to want your game isn't exactly the problem; it's getting them to open their wallets for them that's the trick.

Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, the developer of such epics as Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic confirmed that it is looking into games of a much smaller (physical) scale. Specifically, BioWare co-CEO Greg Zeschuk states that he finds Apple's iPhone "intriguing" as a games platform. Mind you, he's not saying development is underway, but he is a fan.

"Something that's as big a cultural and technical success as the iPhone is something you've really got to take a close look at," explains Zeschuk, adding that, "We've got a lot of folks looking at it." Zechuk's statements come just a few days after the project lead on BioWare's Nintendo DS RPG, Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, revealed that the company is also investigating Wii and PSP dvelopment. Now BioWare just needs to look into developing for those LCD games you see at mall kiosks and it'll have all bases covered.

Mass Effect creator BioWare likes console development. In fact, it would like to do more of it – on more platforms – so implies Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood project lead Mark Darrah in an interview with Gamasutra.

"We're looking into Wii and PSP as a company," Darrah revealed, although "nothing's been decided." BioWare is also intent on broadening its portfolio, Darrah says.

While its forte is definitely in the RPG genre, we have seen solid effort from BioWare in the action category with MDK2 for Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. Company co-founder Greg Zeschuck has previously told Joystiq that he's keen to take another stab at the genre ... it's just a matter of clearing its already very full plate first and catching the right idea.

Delays are never good, but in the case of two titles emerging from EA's acquisition of BioWare and Pandemic, it's nice to see the publishing giant giving its studios the time they need to get the job done right. In particular, we're talking about BioWare's all-new original RPG title, Dragon Age, and Pandemic's WWII action game, Saboteur, both of which EA boss John Riccitiello revealed are now 2009 titles during a speech Tuesday.

BioWare, hot off the PC release of Mass Effect, has been crafting its first fantasy RPG since Neverwinter Nights for some time. Saboteur showed substantial promise when we saw it last year; it's a third-person action game set in Nazi-occupied France, starting off in black & white, with color appearing as Nazis are driven out of areas of Paris.

When we first reported on EA's reworked DRM scheme for Mass Effect PC – one that removed the onerous 10-day re-validation process but now only allows a maximum of three activations – we teased that we were ready to "pick up our torches and pitchforks and join the mob outside."

Now, a little over a month later, that mob has grown to some considerable size, spurred on by a forum thread on BioWare's site being referenced on consumer-advocacy blog The Consumerist. The problem: some confusion over whether or not uninstalling the game reinstates one of your three activations. After some wrangling (you know how support centers can be) EA confirmed that "unfortunately, you will not gain an activation by uninstalling the game." So, be stingy with those installs, gamers.


[Via Consumerist; thanks, Eric]

Mass Effect PC players will soon have a chance to "Bring Down the Sky" (did you see what we did there?), as BioWare has announced that the free downloadable content will be available very soon for the PC version of the giant space epic.

The content -- available on the Xbox 360 since March -- includes a brand new uncharted world, and the inclusion of the ass-ugly Batarian race. And did we mention that it's free? That's incredibly good per-eyeball value.

We always thought BioWare's galaxy-spanning RPG, Mass Effect, was just a teensy bit too epic to fit into that whirring beige box beneath the TV. Now, the game has been enhanced -- improved inventory, expanded squad control and less clunky interface, all check -- and released roughly six months later on a computer that doesn't sound like it's constantly sawing the disc in half. The first batch of reviews seem to approve.

• IGN (92/100): "This is easily one of the best RPGs on the platform in recent years, delivering a terrific new universe, a fun blend of action and role-playing, and a deeply satisfying story. If you have any love of science fiction or space opera, then you owe it to yourself to check it out. There are hours upon hours of joyful discovery here, and an undeniable love for science fiction, as well."
• GameDaily (90/100): "Although the game suffers from a few minor bugs, including a small number of missions that don't show as completed when finished, some computer controlled teammates that have trouble following orders and occasional glitches when switching between movement and hacking mode, the PC version of Mass Effect is superior to the Xbox 360 release. The mouse and keyboard controls are so natural that they improve the game's performance at practically every level."
• Eurogamer (80/100): "It's an incredibly ballsy game, not afraid to take on any of its competitors, in any field. Story-lead games? Shooters? Even genuine, non-game populist sci-fi? Mass Effect has a try at them all, and leaves more wounds in them than they leave in it, before blasting off into a space all of its own."

Much like they did with Penny Arcade Adventures, the mouse-loving folks at BigDownload have pitted both version of Mass Effect – Xbox 360 and PC – against one another to see which is the best portrayal of Prothean technology. The verdict is probably unsurprising, given the new version came out some six months after the original (and with a vastly improved inventory system). Head over to BigDownload for all the details.

Normally, when we want to talk to Ray Muzyka, General Manger of BioWare, we have to camp outside his palatial mansion and wait for him to get his morning paper. He's pretty spry though, so we can usually get out "When is Mass Effect 2 go--" before he slams the door in our face. But this time, EA actually asked us to pick the good doctor's brain. Here are the results:

BioWare has worked in several fantastical settings. How did working in a sci-fi world like Mass Effect differ from some of your earlier titles?

That's a great question. The creative inspiration for both fantasy and sci-fi, and contemporary settings for that matter, certainly come from very different sources on different projects – for example, we're inspired by the classic fantasy novels for our fantasy games like Baldur's Gate or Dragon Age, and by classic science fiction films for science fiction IPs like Mass Effect, and by contemporary setting movies and novels for other titles. We're always striving to deliver powerful emotional experiences to our audience.

Can you remember back to November 3? No, young one. Not November 3, 2007. That'd be easy. No, we're talking about Nov. 3, 2006. The nation was tuning in to watch the antics of The Honeymooners, bell-bottoms were all the rage and a young Dwight D. Eisenhower was just gearing up his bid for the presidency. It was a crazy time. But it's also when we first got a release window for Dragon Age, a BioWare RPG that was supposedly due in late 2007 or early 2008. As a quick check of your calendar will tell you, both have come and gone.

But fear not! Speaking at yesterday's EA spring showcase in San Francisco, BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka said that the game is not only still in the works but is "Looking really sweet." Well, we should certainly hope so, Ray. We should certainly hope so.