Joystiq

BioWare looking for 'logical extensions' to its brands for mobile development

Ben Gilbert — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST

"We did that iOS Mass Effect Galaxy thing really early. We said, 'We should just try this and see what happens.' And we learned something from it," BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk told me in a recent interview, when asked about the company's unknown mobile plans. It seems that Zeschuk, and in turn, BioWare, is more interested in using mobile and other burgeoning platforms as testing grounds rather than a focus.

"What we do a lot is we'll actually explore a platform and kinda play around with it," Zeschuk added. While he said that mobile, comprising both Android and iOS, is "definitely something we're looking at," he also noted that just one person of BioWare's hundreds of employees has been assigned to focus primarily on mobile development. That person is said to be in charge of identifying "logical extensions to what we do," but Zeschuk is quick to point out his company "haven't announced too much" in that space.

He also pointed out that another branch of BioWare's parent company, EA Interactive/Mobile, could be of particular use in the case of BioWare properties on mobile devices. "That's one of the biggest benefits of being at EA. We have EA Interactive, who does tons and tons of mobile stuff," Zeschuk said. "We're always looking around. We're always sort of sharing ideas and figuring out what we're gonna do."

Presumably we'll hear more whenever BioWare figures out what exactly that is, or at least whenever the company decides to announce as much. For now, we'll be wantonly hoping for a PopCap crossover, post-acquisition. We can dream, right?

BioWare looking for 'logical extensions' to its brands for mobile development originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 02 Jan 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioWare's Zeschuk on Mass Effect Galaxy: 'Our guess was wrong'

David Hinkle — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:20:00 EST

Filed under: Weird But True, Opinions, New In Pop Culture

Some people forked over a sawbuck for Mass Effect Galaxy because they wanted to experience the backstory of characters appearing in Mass Effect 2. Some people downloaded Galaxy for the promise of in-game goods in Mass Effect 2. No matter what folks signed up for, most seem to agree that what they got could've been better -- even BioWare's Dr. Greg Zeschuk.

"Oh, I think it was very worth attempting," he told Videogamer. "Even when something's not as successful as you'd like, you can take some lessons away and apply them, right? For us, that's kind of where humility comes in, to eat the humble pie on the Mass iPhone game [laughs] and go, 'Yeeeaaah, we made a big mistake,' in the sense that we thought story could carry it." He immediately corrected himself, saying that it might not have been a mistake, but "as much as we took a guess, our guess was wrong, and we learned something in the process." The lesson? That the important part of designing for iPhone is building the game around the interface. "Unless your game is utterly designed about tactile gameplay, you shouldn't release it. That was good information for us to have."

Despite Galaxy's failing, Dr. Zeschuk isn't entirely willing to write off the potential of the iPhone just yet. "We'll explore stuff," Zeschuk said. "For us, it may be things that link into other games. It's the cross-platform nature of the potential platform, like an iPhone app able to somehow access one of the other games' universes, or something. That would be really cool."

Gallery: Mass Effect Galaxy (iPhone)

BioWare's Zeschuk on Mass Effect Galaxy: 'Our guess was wrong' originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect Galaxy patch promises 'performance boost'

Xav de Matos — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:30:00 EST

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.

Gallery: Mass Effect Galaxy (iPhone)

Mass Effect Galaxy patch promises 'performance boost' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thanks, Jacob! But your reward is in another Mass Effect!

James Ransom-Wiley — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST

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.

Gallery: Mass Effect Galaxy (iPhone)

[Thanks, Chris]

Thanks, Jacob! But your reward is in another Mass Effect! originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mass Effect iPhone becomes Mass Effect 'Galaxy,' ties in to Mass Effect 2

Ben Gilbert — Sun, 31 May 2009 17:30:00 EST

Revealed via leaked survey just over a month ago, Mass Effect for the iPhone seeks to fill in the story of a couple characters appearing in upcoming sequel, Mass Effect 2. So far, the little we know from the BioWare Blog paints the picture of a game that fills in the gaps between Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, following the story of Jacob Taylor.

Citing the "limitations" of Apple's handheld, Mass Effect Galaxy is comprised of "a very defined beginning, a middle with three branches, and an end sequence that takes the player to the final showdown with the game's antagonist." BioWare is staying mum on more info to do with the game but hopefully we'll see more on the game this week at E3.

Gallery: Mass Effect Galaxy (iPhone)

Mass Effect iPhone becomes Mass Effect 'Galaxy,' ties in to Mass Effect 2 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 31 May 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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