Today we are proud to present our exclusive interview with the co-founders of Bioware, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk. Read on to find out their opinions on the future of the gaming industry, Project Natal, the role-playing game genre and much more.
Dakota Grabowski: Where you do see the future of video game technology, whether it be Project Natal, motion-controllers, digital distribution or any variety of other developments that are currently occurring?
Ray Muzyka: Well, it could be elements of all those things potentially.
Greg Zeschuk: There’s OnLive, that’s another one. It’s kind of streaming games.
Ray Muzyka: There are many categories you’ve mentioned Dakota. Like distribution is more about the business model side of things. Some others are point of interface. Then there are others that are categories about the fidelity of visualization technology, the graphics, or the sound. All of them are going to continue to progress. With Natal, or Sony’s system, or the Wii with motion-control, they are removing barriers to entry for the player so they can see the content and interact with it more directly. Whenever you can remove the barriers, then that’s very powerful. Then there are barriers with digital distribution, which removes barriers from direct to consumer. It enables players to interact directly with their content. Retail is still a viable and powerful distribution area. A lot of people like to go to get their game and get a physical copy in their hands. But digital distribution is becoming obviously a lot more important.
Dakota Grabowski: What about you Greg?
Greg Zeschuk: I would agree. Digital is definitely the full future, but it’s going to be awhile before we get there. I think it’s very interesting as retail is still used as a mechanism to help promote the game and the concept of a launch. A lot of games enjoy a big launch and retail helps roll that out property. The control side of things is kind of interesting. Some control things are a bit of a red herring in that there’s still a question of what kind of game you should make. I’m still skeptical on stuff like Natal and how it would work in our games or in some shooters. I sometimes imagine myself running around and jumping in the living room when I just want to sit back and relax. I think we need to see proof of the concept. Clearly the Wii has worked very well. But then again, it doesn’t cover all game types since there’s always going to be the need for the good old controller. Finally, I think that the streaming technology is going to be a big production of barrier entry for people. You literally can have the televisions hooked up with a controller and I can download a movie or a chapter of a game; that’s going to be really powering for the gamer.
Ray Muzyka: All of them are pointing in the same direction. They are all removing barriers. They are allowing people to play the games the way they want to play them. They are all making games potentially more engaging emotionally or whatever the game is trying to convey. They are all converging on the same ideal and doing it in a very different way. It’s very exciting.
Dakota Grabowski: How long before the announcement of Project Natal did you hear about the technology?
Greg Zeschuk: Hmm… sometime before the announcement. It definitely was sometime before the announcement, but not too early.
Dakota Grabowski: Were you excited about the announcement? Any ideas that you would have implement into Dragon Age: Origins if you were able to have the technology a few years back?
Ray Muzyka: I find the idea of removing barriers really exciting for fans. I like the idea that the platform is continually moving along. It’s great for creators and developers to be able to have a stable platform that they can develop within and continue to deploy content they are familiar with deploying, but in new ways with different entry points for the fans. I think it’s great for the fans.
Greg Zeschuk: I think it’s interesting and almost natural for the interface. There’s the Minority Report scene where Tom Cruise is moving objects with his hands. There’s also a scene in Mass Effect where someone is doing that. So you think to yourself that there could be a scene in Mass Effect 2 and say, “Oh yeah, you could totally use it!” The concept of game interface is going to change and it’s going to be unique. I’m not sure if it’s going to be about a gesture or literally be moving virtual objects with your hands. That ends up being the big impediment. There’s the ability to interact with the content that ends up disappearing. It’s the question of seeing the examples and seeing how it works.
Dakota Grabowski: Where do you see the future of the role-playing genre heading? Do you think Eastern developers will continue to cater to the Western audiences and keep targeting the demographics to sell better here in North America?
Ray Muzyka: I see it broadening. We see it definitely broadening with our games and continually diversify. So we are always trying to add different elements, features, content and continue to expand our definition of a RPG. You can look at Mass Effect 2. It’s as much of a shooter as is it a RPG. It’s really rich and deep. It has a lot of features RPG fans are going to be really excited about. Fans of Mass Effect 1, or other RPGs, are going to be all over it. It really has a tight shooter experience in it. Dragon Age, you could argue that it has got a lot of RTS elements in it with the way the combat flows and the tactics you can decide on. But it’s still incredibly deep and rich with a huge emergent world to explore. It’s heroic, dark and edgy. You can look at Grand Theft Auto IV. I’d argue that it’s as much an RPG as it is an action-adventure game. There are a lot of developers that are creating games more about the experience and less about the genre classification.
Greg Zeschuk: The Japanese market is really interesting. I mean, yeah, you’re right about what’s happening. Certain companies are really getting it. You look at Capcom and you can say, “Yeah, they figured out the Western market.” There’s the realization that you can’t rely on old markets. It’s been true for all of us. Certainly in Canada, we’ve had that perspective. In the earlier days, we used to look at their games and try to figure out what the magic was behind Final Fantasy. It’s kind of funny too. It’s ironic because Mass Effect was number one when it launched in Japan, which is amazing to us since we never thought that it would be the case. It’s a different market there than it used to be. I can see why the appeal would work there and it’s easy to see that it’s all about the global market. So now, really, you have to make games that appeal broadly. You can’t make a big blockbuster that caters to a small or even a moderate size market.
Ray Muzyka: It is part of the reason that developers are broadening what an RPG is.
Greg Zeschuk: Absolutely.
Ray Muzyka: It ultimately leads to a lot of new fans who can become engrossed in that content.
Greg Zeschuk: It’s better for differentiation. If you add in RPG features into a shooter, it really makes it look different than other typical shooters.
Dakota Grabowski: Having seen Microsoft extending the shelf life of the Xbox 360 past the typical five year turnaround process for new technology, and Sony most likely following suit, do you think the consoles are a viable platform for MMOs at this current date?
Ray Muzyka: Yeah, oh yeah. I think it’s possible. You have to design the interface and the way the people experience the game to work on a console. There are different technology requirements and different online capabilities. There are pros and cons to every platform. There are definitely challenges to surmount. But yeah, it’s definitely possible.
Greg Zeschuk: There are still business model challenges to overcome. I think that’s actually the one thing that’s holding it back. Part of the business model was the duration, but the other thing was, “How does the split of the revenue work?”
Ray Muzyka: How do you deliver content to the platforms?
Greg Zeschuk: That’s another one too. You aren’t allowed to push on the consoles. You can’t have a MMO that have unsynchronized versions. Everyone has to have the same version.
Ray Muzyka: Those are surmountable too.
Greg Zeschuk: Yeah, of course. If they really wanted it, it’s ripe to have.
Dakota Grabowski: Has Bioware sat down recently to speak as a team about what the five year plan is for the company?
Ray Muzyka: We do have a five year plan. In fact, we are doing off-site work. We are doing that as part of the RPG and MMO group. So Bioware and Mythic are talking together about the portfolio and where we want to grow and evolve. There’s stuff in that plan we can’t go into great detail about.
Greg Zeschuk: We can’t give you the secret stuff!
Dakota Grabowski: Oh, I totally understand. How long ago was Dragon Age created as a concept? And how long did it take for you to decide it was finally the time to go through with it.
Ray Muzyka: It was a few years ago. We think years into the future.
Greg Zeschuk: It’s interesting with all of our games. Literally with Dragon Age and Mass Effect, it was the same exercise. You lay a blank piece of paper on the table and say, “Okay, create an entire galaxy” or “create a dark-fantasy epic” and just begin. It’s an incredible task. Starting with the core little idea and ending up with a full game, it does take years. We recently had a talk with the staff where we wanted to tighten up future plans. It does take awhile to make an epic.
Ray Muzyka: Years!
Greg Zeschuk: Yeah, many years.
Ray Muzyka: You have to think not just five years into the future, but ten or even longer in terms of where you want to go. Some of that is due to all the unknowns such as where the technology is going, where you fans will be and entertainment preferences.
Greg Zeschuk: Is it going to be Natal or is it going to be Super Natal? The handheld Natal.
Ray Muzyka: You have to guess. You have to be very flexible as you go along.
Greg Zeschuk: Take for example a look at social gaming. It’s gone crazy.
Ray Muzyka: Who would’ve expected that five years ago?
Greg Zeschuk: Two years ago or even one year ago. iPhone, one year ago, went from nothing to crazy.
Dakota Grabowski: It’s definitely bigger than the Xbox Live Arcade in some aspects, such as sales and popularity.
Ray Muzyka: This is why our industry is so fun. So many curveballs and it’s very unpredictable.
Dakota Grabowski: Thanks for your time Ray and Greg. I’m tremendously looking forward to Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect 2.
Ray Muzyka: You will like them.
Greg Zeschuk: Well he probably already knows if he likes Dragon Age or not since he’s had a lot of playtime.
Dakota Grabowski: Oh, it’s been a wonderful time so far!
