BioWare Corp.

Company

BioWare Corp. is a computer game development company founded by three Canadian doctors. In 1994, while serving as resident physicians in family medicine, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk began programming medical educational software together for the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine. Later, Dr. Augustine Yip, a friend met back in medical school, joined them and they designed a program called the Acid-Base Simulator, a project they were able to complete while still in their residency. After proving to themselves that they could build superior medical software, they had the confidence to pursue their dream of developing video games.

The three doctors pooled close to $100,000 and founded BioWare Corp., to develop medical software and computer games. The company was officially incorporated in February 1995. BioWare has since shifted its focus to encompass electronic entertainment, computer and console games, and computer-generated animation.

Dr. Greg Zeschuk served as producer on the company's first project, Shattered Steel. The game was developed with Pyrotek Game Studios, a Calgary-based subcontractor. The three physicians performed clinic work at night and on weekends, while simultaneously managing their software business. Within a year of founding their company, the doctors submitted a demo of Shattered Steel to ten game publishers and immediately received seven offers for publishing rights.

After the release of Shattered Steel, BioWare opened a fully operational animation division is known as BioWare Active Media. The company's primary focus is on character animation for video games, but they have also been involved with logo and commercial animation, story-based broadcast animation, animation for films and educational projects.

Growing up in Edmonton, Canada, BioWare's Zeschuk and Muzyka were said to have consumed every new paper and computer RPG to hit the market. Following the success of Shattered Steel, BioWare began to create games based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons pen-and-paper role playing system. The company is best known to many for these titles, which include the Baldur's Gate series. ~ Dave Beuscher, All Game Guide

Selected Developed Games

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  Baldur's Gate

  Released on: PC, Macintosh

  November 17, 1998

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  The Baldur's Gate Collection

  Released on: PC

  November 05, 1999

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  Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

  Released on: PC, Macintosh

  September 02, 2000

View All Developed Games