back to article EA merges Bioware, Mythic into single RPG gamehaus

Electronic Arts is combining its top RPG maker, Bioware, with its top MMO maker, Mythic, to make one massive roleplaying studio group. While it's not apparent why EA is squeezing the video game houses together, the publisher is keeping Bioware's reins in the same hands. The newly-formed RPG/MMO group will be helmed by Ray …

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  1. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Flame

    Great idea

    How unfortunate that whatever comes out will still be published by EA, meaning stuffed to the gills with DRM and other functions that only serve to annoy honest people.

    I'm done with EA until they get some sense and start respecting their customers again.

  2. Tony Paulazzo
    FAIL

    Or, EA murders another development house

    Bullfrog, Maxis, Origin, Criterion and now Mythic... RIP.

    From Wikipedia:

    During its period of fastest growth, EA was often criticized for buying smaller development studios primarily for their intellectual property assets, and then producing drastically changed games of their franchises. For example, Origin-produced Ultima VIII: Pagan and Ultima IX: Ascension were developed quickly under EA's ownership, over the protests of Ultima creator Richard Garriott...

    EA 2009. Sims3, lazily coded, dumbed down, missing Maxis humour of item descriptions, fewer items, though many more for sale on EAs store (apparently, if you buy all the Sims3 download items, like hair styles, furniture etc, it'll cost you about £275 ish).

    And don't even get me started on how they've run Need for Speed into the ground.

    I give Bioware two years max before their founders disappear and the name vanishes into EA corporate whoredom.

    Ooh, new icons, thanks el reg.

  3. Peter Kay

    Meh.

    Bioware haven't created much interesting for the PC for a few years along the lines of Balders Gate 2/Neverwinter Nights/KOTOR and Mythic are one of those tedious no beginning, no end, suck all your money and time away MMORPG companies.

    Here's hoping Dragon Age is half decent, before Mythic drag Bioware down to yet more dumbed down MMORPG mediocrity.

  4. g e
    Thumb Up

    Mass Effect as an MMO?

    Crikey.

    Yes Please.

    The only thing sadly lacking in ME was space combat which after you've had your tour of the ship's tech you're kinda waiting for all through the game. All the same, EVE as landbased warfare would rock which is what MEMMO would be unless they are getting space battling down too.

    By the way.. that ship cooling system with the droplets flowing over the hull... surely if you eject the cooling fluid at the prow it's not going to flow over the hull to the stern as there's no airflow...

    :oD

  5. Lionel Baden

    fail

    instead of only blaming EA blame the get rich quick development team

    all they care about is a couple of mill and then complain when the game is shite

    If they really care about it going to EA is a funny way of showing it !!!

    if your game is good enough it will make it without a large corperation behind it

    may i mention

    lemmings

    worms

    and for modern people

    world of goo

  6. BoldMan
    FAIL

    Saw this coming

    When Marc Jacobs sold his soul to EA, you could see this coming as the death of Mythic. As a long term player of Dark Ages of Camelot (and an ex Minstrel TL) even though I stopped playing a few years ago, I have a soft spot for DAOC and Mythic. The company really went downhill when EA took over and they got rid of Sanya!

  7. Ed Blackshaw Silver badge

    Just think of all those popular MMORPGs that EA produce

    like...

    nope, that's Blizzard, or how about...

    nope, Linden Labs*. Ok, what about...

    nope that one's CCP. Maybe...

    nope, Origin...

    *Ok, so that one's not really a MMORPG, but it is nevertheless quite popular...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    re: Mass Effect as an MMO?

    "Crikey.

    Yes Please."

    Crikey. HELL NO!

    Take what's good about a decent RPG (such as KotOR 1 and ME), which would be the storylines, the backstory and personality of your team and your ability to choose a definite ending to the game, strip those out, replace with gormless "real" people ("L2 LFG" "pwnd noob" and whatever other dross you get when on the interwebs), an infinite trudge to nowhere and The Grind, oh gods, the grind, and you get an MMO.

    Bioware should be concentrating on making Mass Effect 2 and 3 the best damn single player RPGs they can be, not pissing their time away introducing The Grind to Star Wars (which has already had it in SWG and the KotOR series needs a pick-me-up after 2 anyway).

    I'd pay good money to continue my adventures with Commander Shepard and my team. I'm not interested in playing if there's no story, no real goals, and a monthly fee.

  9. John70

    @Lionel Baden

    Ah... Worms... excellent game and if you're from Yorkshire you know the meaning of some of the stuff in the game...

    Mike's Carpet Bombs.... Shops called Mike's Carpets selling, you guessed it, carpets :)

    Now where did I put that Concrete Donkey...

  10. Colin 26
    Grenade

    Uh-oh?

    Mythic's track record is 1 for 2 re. MMOs.

    DAOC - ground breaking.

    WAR ~1.2 mill 'box' sales left with barely six figures in live subs mostly due to shoddy engine incapable of delivering the massive scale RvR battles that were to be its USP. Oops.

    Hundreds of thousands SW fans around the world are now wondering what side of the coin will show headsup for the new MMO. Ex-mythic and their 50% success rate holds sway, and all the midichlorians in the galaxy can do nought about it. Hopefully they've learned their lessons from WAR.

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