BioWare/Mythic RPG Division Interview

[GameBanshee News]

Gamasutra had the opportunity to sit down with BioWare's Ray Muzyka and discuss the recent announcement that he'll be heading up EA's new "RPG/MMO Group".

The actual announcement was a bit vague -- what are the practical ramifications of the BioWare and Mythic reorganization?

Ray Muzyka: Structurally, each of the organizations remains intact. They're working on the same projects they were working on before, I just have another studio that reports into me. It's not that BioWare or Mythic is changing; they're retaining their brands, their unique cultural identities, their projects they are working on. I'm really excited about what we're doing; we have great people at each location.

Rather, a new group is being formed that is more of a reporting structure of Rob Denton, the GM of Mythic; Richard [Vogel] and Gordon [Walton], who already report to me from [BioWare] Austin; Yannick [Roy], our studio director at BioWare Montreal, who already reports into me; and then BioWare Edmonton, and I already manage that studio myself.

It's a collaboration opportunity. Each of the groups continues to make the same thing in their [own locations]. But it's fuelling and enabling more communication, collaboration, best practice sharing, encouraging each other to play each others' games -- but no formal change per se in what anybody's doing. It's a recognition that there's a lot of synergy between them already. I'm going to make sure everyone at each location knows who the others are, and their comparable roles, and to make sure they talk.

...

Speaking of Mythic, it looks like you and Greg [Zeschuk] are taking the banner roles in this group, and of course Star Wars: The Old Republic is the big centerpiece MMO EA is trying to push. Is Mythic being overshadowed?

RM: I look at it as, I have a new role now that's additive to the past and current role. My new role is the group general manager of the RPG/MMO Group, and that's the name I wanted to have for it. It's not called BioWare, it's not called Mythic; it's called the RPG/MMO Group.

The outward brands that are still very much the consumer-facing identities, the cultural identities, are Mythic and BioWare, and I'm really proud of those two brands. They're storied brands, they're award-winning studios. Very much they're going to be partner studios. There are three BioWare studios already -- Edmonton, Austin, and Montreal -- and one Mythic studio, but Mythic is very much a strong identity and voice and brand and group. I'm really happy with that. That's the way I want it, that's the way they want it.