BioWare to Develop Games for DS

VonSnouty writes "The revered RPG specialist Bioware is setting up a special handheld division in Edmonton, and it's revealed their first creation will be for the Nintendo DS. Neverwinter Nights? Mass Effect? Erm, Jade Empire? Place yer bets!" It's also possible this could tie in to their as-yet-untitled MMOG. From the article: "The new handheld group will be led by project director, Dan Tudge, former president and founder of indie studio Exile Interactive, who has previously worked for major publishers such as Nintendo, Microsoft, THQ, and Sega." Hey, I liked Jade Empire.

Comments

Re:Oh zonk

[Anonymous Coward]

About the same time he buys a PS3.

From The Source

[SpottedKuh]

Since the link given in the story seems to have been hit simultaneously by thousands of drooling gamers, here's the press release from Bioware itself.

Neverwinter nights on handheld would rock

[linzeal]

I like bioware's RPG skills and this would fill a niche in my weekday caltran 2 hour commute. With NVW2 coming out in october and an estimated 2-3 months play time, I hope they can get something out the door by christmas.

Re:Neverwinter nights on handheld would rock

[abandonment]

nintendo has about a 3 month backlog for printing DS cartridges. games that weren't done a month or so ago have pretty much zero chance of being on the shelves by christmas, so this is not likely, unless bioware have created a time machine division along with this new handheld division.

Re:Neverwinter nights on handheld would rock

[Aladrin]

Never underestimate the power of throwing huge amounts of money at a corporation.

I'm hopeful they go with ...

[kinglink]

a personal IP, or something very open world like DnD. The DS can really produce some great games and with Bioware working on it the result should be great. I just hope they stay far away from the Star wars license. While Kotor was good for a Star Wars license (rare in itself), Bioware is FAR better than what they showed in those games. I felt restricted quite often in the game and I'm sure the developers felt it too as they couldn't create completely new games, they had to live with a mythos. I'm hopeful for something new and unique, like NWN and Mass Effects feel.

Re:I'm hopeful they go with ...

[steveo777]

I personally don't think that a KOTOR would be bad, or difficult to do. They would just have to realize that we would much rather have a steady framerate than put up with the XBox KOTORs. Just as long as not too much is fundamentally different if they sequel any of their IPs, I'm just fine. (wouldn't mind another Jade Empire)

touching

[captain_cthulhu]

"touching is good"
...especially when there's hot elves about!

Re:touching

[Yvan256]

Yeah, good idea!

Hey Blizzard, make a "virtual pet" with a female night elf from World of Warcraft!

Hum, on a second thought... not perverse enough...

Hey Square Enix, make a "virtual pet" with a female Mithra from Final Fantasy XI!

Remember

[Anonymous Coward]

This isn't Bioware as we know them, the wonderful group of people that brought us NWN and KotOR. This is a new Bioware studio, completely unproven and it's unlikely their creative staff is going to be moving there. This game could easily be crap.

Re:Remember

[SetupWeasel]

In my opinion, NWN was a broken snorefest. What experience I had with KOTOR wasn't much better. At least it was less broken. The Geek crowd is so desperate for certain franchises that they will elevate passable games to some sort of legend status. BioWare sells the sizzle. Blizzard sells the steak.

Re:Remember

[Anonymous Coward]

"BioWare sells the sizzle. Blizzard sells the steak."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Spoken like a faggot who's probably paying to play World of Warcraft.

Re:Remember

[Anonymous Coward]

Too bad they keep putting a different garnish on the same steak every time and trying to convince everyone it's a new recipe.

Dragon Age

[Enderandrew]

It is Dragon Age, without a doubt. Microsoft isn't going to let Mass Effect or Jade Empire appear on Nintendo. Bioware said they were done with Atari and other people's IP. That is why they turned down KOTOR:2 and NWN:2. So it won't be NWN. They have said they've developed the Dragon Age setting for multiple games.

I bet Dragon Age will be the setting for the MMO as well. The big-wigs at Bioware have put years and years into creating this world. They will showcase it.

Re:Dragon Age

[Ondo]

Microsoft isn't going to let Mass Effect or Jade Empire appear on Nintendo.

Since being bought by Microsoft, Rare has made more games for Nintendo handhelds than for Microsoft's consoles. Why would this be any different?

Re:Dragon Age

[Enderandrew]

Because Microsoft is fighting to keep certain franchises exclusive to the XBox brand. Again, I don't believe that Microsoft would allow Jade Empire or Mass Effect on Nintendo. Just like they're not going to let Halo on Nintendo. Rare had a bunch of previous associations with Nintendo, and Microsoft wasn't letting exclusive franchises slip away with Rare.

Re:Dragon Age

[Anonymous Coward]

Okay. But Microsoft doesn't seem to have any problem letting their subsidiary game companies, or even Microsoft Game Studios itself, make games for the DS. Why? Well, they don't offer a competitor to the DS, and making DS games is profitable. When Nintendo is in direct competition with XBox hardware - that is, on the Gamecube - then of course Microsoft is going to want to keep the brand on their home turf. But there's no reason to "keep it with the XBox brand" when there's no place in the brand for the game - to wit, when there is no Microsoft handheld. Nintendo didn't beat up Microsoft and take its lunch money in the 3rd grade or anything; the two companies work together when it seems advantageous to do so.

Re:Dragon Age

[KugelKurt]

Microsoft isn't going to let Mass Effect or Jade Empire appear on Nintendo.

What could MS do? Cry loud and stomp their feet on the ground? MS is just the distributor. MS does NOT hot any rights to Mass Effect or Jade Empire. Check http://www.bioware.com/legal/copyright.html if you don't believe me. (The page says: ''JADE EMPIRE © 2001-2003 BioWare Corp. Jade Empire, the Jade Empire logo, BioWare Corp., and the BioWare logo are trademarks of BioWare Corp.'' / ''MASS EFFECT © 2004-2005 BioWare Corp. Mass Effect, BioWare Corp., the BioWare Corp. logo, BioWare and the BioWare logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of BioWare Corp.'')

Re:Dragon Age

[Enderandrew]

I know that Bioware insists on owning their IP these days. But they need a publisher. They have a very happy relationship with Microsoft. In fact, Microsoft is their favorite publisher these days. Why go and piss off that publisher?

Bioware doesn't want to deal with Atari or LucasArts again, and no one wants to deal with EA. Bioware isn't going to needlessly piss Microsoft off when they have such a great working relationship.

Trust me, the game will be in their new Dragon Age setting.

Re:Dragon Age

[warGod3]

Now please bare with me a moment...

I play the SWG MMORPG. Yes, it is dying. Rumors are beginning to spring up in different places just in the past week that Bioware is possibly going to do the developing for a KOTOR type MMORPG and SOE would host it. Is this still possible? If not, does anyone have any links to an official statement from Bioware either for or against this? My understanding is that Bioware had hired a few of the original devs from the SWG MMORPG.

Last year when the SWG MMORPG 'upgraded' to it's current NGE, there was also speculation that this was being done to simplify the gaming system to be put on a console to appeal to a broader audience. Relevant input anyone?

Re:Dragon Age

[Enderandrew]

LucasArts has said they won't pull the plug on Star Wars Galaxies. Some have speculated that Bioware is doing a KOTOR-era Star Wars MMO. Perhaps LucasArts is willing to do two Star Wars MMO's side by side. Or maybe they won't pull the plug on Galaxies until the new one launches.

However, as much as I would love to see a good Star Wars MMO in the KOTOR-era with plenty of Jedi and Sith, Bioware was vocal that they have not been happy working with other companies telling them what they can and can not do. Thusly, they stepped away from established IPs and vowed to only do their own.

I hope they are doing a KOTOR-MMO, but I'm guessing it is Dragon Age the MMO.

Thank god

[MemoryDragon]

While the DS has overall a good games lineup, i am somehow sick of overhyped rails like japanese rpgs as only option. I would love to see something less linear on consoles generally. (Oblivion being the example) But I rather doubt we will see something like Ultima or Gothic on any japanese console in the immediate future. Something like fallout probably never.

Re:Thank god

[sqlrob]

There's a port of Ultima VII coming out for the PSP. Near future enough for you? ;)

Re:Thank god

[c_forq]

If you like at the title and the games it is with it is most likely a port of the SNES Ultima VII, which sucked bad (the PC Ultima VII is one of my favorite games ever though, and if they do actually update that I may just find myself buying a PSP).

Re:Thank god

[MemoryDragon]

For a decent U7 gaming experience you need a mouse or touchpad, the closest you can get on any handheld for a freeform rpg is the exult port to the sharp zaurus, that one is close to as perfect as such a game can be. I cannot see how U7 fits into the control scheme of a psp decently, and believe me the u7 for the snes sucked really badly.

That ain't nothin!

[CODiNE]

Wait til they get a load of the DALEKS game I'm writing in BASIC. Portable gaming will never be the same.

I'm not from Edmonton but...

[dstyle5]

hockey season is near, so Go Oilers Go! Waits for off topic mod down.... :)

Re:I'm not from Edmonton but...

[Oopsz]

Am I the only person who played MDK2?

"Good Gravy! That's Edmonton!"

Re:I'm not from Edmonton but...

[chrish]

Nope, that's a great, funny, underrated game; I keep meaning to go back and finish it.

Re:I'm not from Edmonton but...

[macshome]

No, you're not but it might just be the two of us.

MDK2 is one of those games I put in the list of best-games-you've-never-played for most people. I love it though.

Great gameplay, great visuals and sound, great presentation, very funny, and it's old school HARD. There simply aren't enough hard games these days that don't resort to just being cheap.

Re:Oh zonk

[__aaclcg7560]

Nintendo + buttlove = kinky troll

Thanks

[Dixie_Flatline]

Hey, I liked Jade Empire.

Thanks. I like Slashdot.

Re:Thanks

[Enderandrew]

I loved the setting and style. You created your own world while paying tribute to Wuxia influences quite well. Please show more of it. Too bad the combat was beyond easy, the game far too short, and it lacked any real strong RPG elements.

Jade Empire showed great promise. Here is hoping that unannounced Jade Empire 2 we all know you're working on for the 360 delivers on those promises!

I liked Jade Empire too

[Das Modell]

I do think that it's a very underrated game that hasn't received a lot of attention (nobody ever seems to talk about it), and this post makes it almost seem like people didn't like it. I'd love to see more Jade Empire games, it's a very good and original IP. As much as I'm looking forward to NWN2, it wouldn't hurt to get more RPGs that aren't either based on DnD or copied from it. A Jade Empire MMORPG would be great.

Um, right.

[Anonymous Coward]

So now we report every company that announces they will develop for a system? I'm totally a fanboy here, but this isn't noteworthy enough to report. If they announced specific games, but hey, I guess you've got to post the press releases that the greenbacks tell you to, eh?

Re:Um, right.

[aliquis]

Shut up, Nintendo is cool now ;)

(In other news I was just stuck at the toilet for 50 minutes playing Mega Man ZX. DS isn't good for your sleep.)

Re:Um, right.

[Anonymous Coward]

This is Bioware you stupid fuck.

Re:Um, right.

[KDR_11k]

Slashdot is news for nerds. Many nerds care about what Bioware does. This wouldn't have been posted had it been about e.g. Majesco.

Re:Um, right.

[Kazzahdrane]

I find it noteworthy, for me this is huge news! One of my favourite developers making a game for what is right now my favourite console.

Re:Oh zonk

[Anonymous Coward]

kinky troll

That's just disgusting.

Now I've got this image in my head of a pasty, pale white, 350lb 16 year old crying in his mom's basement because he's struggling to use his reaching wand to shove something up his ass.

Oh wait, that's always there.

Meh...

[MojoBox]

I don't get the hype for BioWare stuff, but then I never played the older PC RPGs. KOTOR was all right but too linear, Jade Empire was a short, linear snooze, the combat was so incredibly boring. I prefer more open ended RPGs, if I'm going to suffer through the generaly boring and clunky combat, I better at least be given an interesting world to explore at my own pace. If I'm tied to a rail, I'd prefer do so with a game that isn't bogged down by humdrum RPG conventions.

Oh, and, no a few bits of different dark/light alignment dialogue and a different 30 second ending does not make a game less linear.

Re:Oh zonk

[__aaclcg7560]

Man... I wonder where that extra Atari joystick went to. :P