BioWare Co-Founders Envisioned Hostile Takeover of EA Through Star Wars MMO
In an alternative reality, BioWare co-founders Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka orchestrated a cunning plan to seize control of Electronic Arts (EA) by leveraging the success of a Star Wars MMO.
Zeschuk shared his audacious dream during an interview with Simon Parkin on the "My Perfect Console" podcast. After EA acquired BioWare in 2008, Zeschuk's hopes rested on the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR).
"I knew that if it was incredibly successful, Ray and I would have considered a bid to take over EA from within," Zeschuk revealed. However, SWTOR's financial performance fell short of their ambitious goal of $2 billion in annual revenue.
Despite its shortcomings, SWTOR remains a popular MMO today, but its development has shifted away from BioWare Austin to Broadsword. The era of MMOs aiming to dethrone World of Warcraft (WoW) had yet to materialize, and SWTOR proved to be no exception.
Zeschuk's aversion to large corporations led him to believe that pursuing a hostile takeover would have been a path to the "Dark Side." He ultimately decided it was better for BioWare to escape EA's clutches.
EA has faced criticism for its handling of BioWare since the acquisition, but Zeschuk acknowledges that the studio has also produced notable titles, such as Mass Effect and Dragon Age. "It was a pretty successful run," he concluded, while recognizing that this chapter seems to have drawn to a close.