Greg Zeschuk, one of the founders of BioWare, has commented on the studio's closure last week. In an interview with the outlet 80 Level, he described the sale of the company's owner, Electronic Arts, to a consortium with Saudi capital as "the final nail in the coffin."
Zeschuk, who founded BioWare in 1995 together with two other medical students, said he learned the news while out fishing. "I got about ten messages," he said. "I came back from the river to my little room, opened my phone, and there it was: 'Sorry about BioWare.' And I was like, 'Oh, damn.'"
He added that he does not share the view that his departure from the company in 2012 brought everything down. According to him, it was a slow and gradual process tied to a change of personnel. Zeschuk believes that once EA changed hands, BioWare's fate was sealed. "BioWare makes unusual games that take a lot of time, they're complex," he explained. "It's easier to just release sports games every year, and in a way, that's the best business model."
I'm not saying it isn't painful or awful. And I think it's sad. Actually, in a way, the saddest part is for the city of Edmonton, where we're from, because we were a kind of beacon of hope, inspiration and opportunity.
— Greg Zeschuk
Greg Zeschuk and the second founder, Ray Muzyka, left BioWare in 2012, the year Mass Effect 3 was released. The third co-founder, Augustine Yip, had left the company back in 1998. Since 2017, Zeschuk has been involved with the brewing company Blind Enthusiasm. Ray Muzyka declined to be interviewed.
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