BioWare: How did we get here?BioWare: How did we get here?
To understand where BioWare came from, we really have to go back to Interplay, the company Brian Fargo founded in 1983. Interplay became one of the most influential publishers of computer role-playing games, responsible for titles like The Bard’s Tale, Wasteland, and Fallout. It was also a gathering place for some remarkable creative talent, including Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky, Jason Anderson, Feargus Urquhart, and Chris Avellone. Urquhart would eventually lead Black Isle Studios, Interplay’s internal RPG division, which gave us Fallout 2, Planescape: Torment, and Icewind Dale.
BioWare itself actually started independently in Edmonton in 1995, founded by three medical doctors: Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. The three had been developing medical simulation software before deciding to try their hand at video games. Their first game was Shattered Steel, published by Interplay, and that relationship led to Baldur’s Gate. BioWare created the Infinity Engine, which Black Isle subsequently used for Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale. So while BioWare wasn’t technically an Interplay studio, it became an important part of the same creative community, with the two studios sharing technology, publishing relationships, and a passion for role-playing games.