BIOWARE Founders Retire, More Dragon Age, Mass Effect Coming

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Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, the co-founders of BioWare, have announced their simultaneous retirement from the venerable role playing game maker, and from video games as a whole.

The MDs founded BioWare in 1995, putting pen and paper to digital screen with Baldur's Gate. Their RPG prowess expanded into the Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect franchises, amongst others. With seventeen years, several successful franchises, studios and offices across the globe and more than a few awards, including induction into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame, both are leaving the industry altogether.

"The decision to leave the videogame industry is hard to explain, but essentially I feel similar now to how I felt in the early days of BioWare over the decade post-medical school, while I was still practicing as an ER physician, back when I first realized that the world of video games was my next career ‘chapter’," said Muzyka in a blog posted on BioWare's website. Muzyka goes on to say that video games will remain a favorite hobby of his, and that he sees "tremendous opportunity ahead for BioWare and its parent company Electronic Arts."

Myzka does leave with the promise of new games in the Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises, with Dragon Age III: Inquisition officially announced just yesterday by the company. The goodbye post (along with a post by GM Aaryn Flynn) marks the first official confirmation that another full game in the Mass Effect series is on the way, as the third installment ended the story of the up-until-now main character Commander Shepard.

Dr. Zeschuk also gave a goodbye post calling the experience with BioWare a "dream come true." His post focuses more on personal goodbyes and thanks, while stating very plainly that his "passion" for the video game industry is "unexpectedly" waning for the first time.

Flynn, in his "please don't freak out too much" post, again confirmed that in addition to DA3, a new full length Mass Effect game is on the way, but not before the promised Omega single-player content for ME3, as well as more multiplayer enhancements. He also noted that Mass Effect Executive Producer Casey Hudson "and his leads are putting together their vision for an all new game set in a fictional universe, built from the bottom-up with all new gaming technology," which sounds like it may only be in planning stages, or being devoloped with the next generation of consoles in mind.