Few games have garnered as much critical acclaim as the original BioWare and LucasArts collaboration,
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Now both developers are back at it, having announcing their joint effort to create what they describe as a ground-breaking "interactive entertainment product." Where we're from, that means videogame. While the intellectual property in question hasn't been formally announced, we have a pretty good idea of what we can expect. Following is the press release that hit the news wires today:
LucasArts and BioWare Corp. today announced that they have entered into an agreement to create an interactive entertainment product. The product, details of which will be unveiled at a later date, will be developed and published by BioWare and LucasArts, and will push the boundaries of the gaming market by utilizing the strengths of both companies to deliver an innovative, high-quality experience.
"LucasArts has a deep commitment to developing compelling stories and characters for the unique medium of interactive entertainment, and we have been searching for a developer that shares this value. We found this in BioWare," said Jim Ward, president of LucasArts. "Through our previous collaborations, we know that BioWare has an impressive ability to blend gripping stories with technological advancements, and we believe that our upcoming product will deliver an experience that will span the traditional boundaries of video game entertainment."
"BioWare's mission is to deliver the best story and character-driven games in the world, delivering powerful emotional experiences to our fans." said Ray Muzyka, chief executive officer, BioWare Corp. Added Greg Zeschuk, president of BioWare Corp., "The collaboration with LucasArts allows us to combine our passion for creating high quality and innovative experiences with those of a company dedicated to bringing only the finest games to market.
GameSpy approached BioWare for comment on any impact the impending acquisition by publishing giant Electronic Arts would have on this project. A spokesperson stated, "The Electronic Arts acquisition is not yet complete, and it would be premature to speculate on EA's role in the development process. BioWare remains a development studio, however, and will very much continue to be run as such."
At this point the rumors and speculation are clearly pointing to a Star Wars-based massively multiplayer online game. BioWare's impressive track record, its strong collaboration with LucasArts on the critically acclaimed
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and the current state of
Star Wars Galaxies make this a natural fit for both parties.
When asked about how this announcement would impact
Star Wars Galaxies, the Star Wars-based massively multiplayer online game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts, BioWare played this one close to the vest. "No details of the actual product have been announced yet, so we are unable to comment on any impact the collaboration will have on existing BioWare or LucasArts products."
