Age of Conan

EA completes BioWare acquisition

EA is committed to BioWare's 'creative integrity' as company's founders stay on board

January 7, 2008

Electonic Arts (EA) today completed its acquisition of VG Holding Corp, the company that owns Pandemic Stuidos and RPG developer BioWare.

BioWare, which is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, was founded in 1995 by two medical doctors, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk. The company is best known for its contribution to the RPG genre of video games with popular titles such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire and Mass Effect. Mass Effect, which was released in November, has sold 1.6 million copies to date.

BioWare will continue to operate uninterrupted under EA, with both Muzyka and Zeschuk will remaining as general managers. The two have also been named vice-presidents at EA, demonstrating EA's commitment to keep the BioWare team together.

"EA has shown great respect for the creative integrity of our studios and BioWare's core values of quality in our workplace, quality in our products, and entrepreneurship," Muzyka said. "Operating as a city state within the larger EA studio family, our talented teams at BioWare Edmonton and BioWare Austin are empowered to continue delivering powerful emotional experiences through our story-driven games."

The cost of the acquisition totalled $620 million U.S. The purchase was made to strengthen EA's portfolio in the RPG genre. BioWare is currently working on sequels for both Jade Empire and Mass Effect. The company also recently announced that it is working with LucasArts on another project, which rumors suggest may be a Star Wars MMO.

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