BioWare "interested" in modern setting
"It's rich with possibility."
Renowned RPG maker BioWare may be ready to ditch fantasy and science-fiction and focus on a modern-day setting instead.
"No," answered BioWare's Ray Muzyka when asked by GamesIndustry.biz if it was too soon to depart from familiar ground. "We're interested in a variety of settings.
"We've already pursued a few different ones too: Jade Empire was very different for example from Mass Effect or Dragon Age.
"We are interested in contemporary settings. We haven't announced anything on that front, but it's safe to say that we think it's rich with possibility as well," he said.
BioWare is currently working on high fantasy RPG Dragon Age: Origins and science fiction games Mass Effect 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The studio, which was merged with Mythic recently, is also believed to have another, unannounced game in development. But we're unlikely to find out what that will be until next year, when both Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins are out of the door.
By then, BioWare may have a Project Natal developer kit, as well as tools to build for Sony's PS3 wand. Both present exciting possibilities for a story-teller like BioWare.
"It's very interesting. And Natal looks exceptionally interesting as a platform extension. I think it's a really powerful idea," said Muzyka.
"I think it applies very much to an emotionally-engaging narrative and a story-driven game. Fulfilling characterisation more completely in games is I guess a way to achieve that.
"So it's something we'd be interested in exploring," he added. "We haven't made any announcements or anything, but it's an intriguing technology that I think we'd want to see more of and see what we could do with it."
Dragon Age: Origins will be released on 23rd October for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Mass Effect 2 will arrive early next year and Star Wars: The Old Republic has yet to be given a date.
Head over to GamesIndustry.biz for the full interview with BioWare's doctor bosses Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, in which they discuss the blossoming of the videogame industry, romantic comedy games and much more.