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BioWare Mass-ing Montreal devs

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpotPosted Mar 2, 2009 12:29 pm PT

Alberta-based developer establishing new 30-man team in Quebec to boost Mass Effect 2 efforts; will be housed in EA Montreal offices.

Anyone worried that Mass Effect 2 might slip from its launch window during the first quarter of 2010 can breathe a little easier. Today developer BioWare announced that it is establishing a new team in Montreal to focus on the sequel to the acclaimed sci-fi role-playing game, which Microsoft published for the Xbox 360 in 2007 and PC in 2008.

"Mon Dieu! C'est un Geth!"

Given that BioWare is now owned by Electronic Arts--which will publish Mass Effect 2 for the PC and "consoles" (plural)--it comes as little surprise that the new operation will be located inside the offices of EA Montreal. BioWare cofounder and general manager Dr. Ray Muzyka told GameSpot that his group will "work in partnership with the existing EA Montreal team" but would still report to him and his business partner, Dr. Greg Zeschuk. "It's still a BioWare Montreal team," he said.

According to Muzyka, the new group will complement the efforts of the large number of developers and designers already working on Mass Effect 2 at BioWare's headquarters in Edmonton, Alberta. The initial team size will be around 30 people, with job listings for Level Designer, Environment Artist, and Senior Environment Artist currently posted on BioWare's job site in English and--naturellement--French. Muzyka said that the team might also eventually assist with work on Dragon Age: Origins and the massively multiplayer project Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Opened in March 2004 after a brief legal spat with Ubisoft, which also has a major presence in the Quebecois metropolis, EA Montreal currently employs around 700 people. Its best-known games include SSX Blur, Boogie, and Army of Two.

163 Comments

  • W3En

    Posted May 3, 2009 3:37 pm PT

    I really dislike it when EA or Micorsoft go and buy out smaller publishers or developers so they can make more money.

  • detege

    Posted Apr 3, 2009 4:55 pm PT

    Please EA, pretty please, let quality be the top priority for this game. If this game is at least as great as the first one, I promise instead of just buying it, i'll also send spamming mails to all gamer friends to buy this game.

  • Big_To

    Posted Mar 30, 2009 7:16 pm PT

    Oh man, Sanim02 hopes it'll come out for "Ps3 or Wii", making a game that was originally 360/PC exclusive port to Wii will drop the quality drastically. The scariest part about this is that it could happen, all because EA is the publisher...

  • elgerak

    Posted Mar 20, 2009 4:53 am PT

    EA We are watching you........ Do not interfere in the creation of this or any other bioware game. Let them alooooone. Let them spent lots of time into things you ll never understand why they are necesary.. Fooling customers is always more profitable. bioware seemed to put their game quality in higher priority than profit.

  • IRTehHardMode

    Posted Mar 19, 2009 9:20 pm PT

    If EA messes this up....I will punch babies

  • madglee

    Posted Mar 17, 2009 2:47 pm PT

    "Muzyka said that the team [EA] might also eventually assist with work on Dragon Age: Origins..." Great, first the PC date is pushed to November for marketing reasons - read, "We'll gladly compromise PC design in favor of console controls/concerns" - and now they're going to let EA get their hands on it.

    I was excited about this game when it was supposed to be a spiritual successor to BGII and was being designed as a PC game, but my excitement has faded and I'm nearing the point of no longer caring.

    And why is this news content with only a blurb about Dragon Age, under the Dragon Age news? Seems like it has more to do with Mass Effect 2.

  • Toropore

    Posted Mar 14, 2009 11:13 am PT

    There in montreal. Anything could happen. D:

  • xeuse51

    Posted Mar 12, 2009 9:34 pm PT

    EA did ok with "Dead Space". However i still have no faith in them. They are ruining the game industry. Taking an exclusive title and making it cross console sucks. They need to leave the bioware developers alone. That way it will still be a great game without product placement and licensed music. Cant wait for this sequel.

  • flawless_blade

    Posted Mar 8, 2009 5:08 pm PT

    EA, im watching you. screw this one up and ur... screwed... for lack of a better word.

    and this... : jason19

    Posted Mar 5, 2009 5:24 am GMT

    "well i hope lest the games cotnot form the end you pick the llvl went to kill lest stal over and world i hops so EA that be grast ident to put coutnin you do mission bay weapon and time restboot form frist part games i hope can selet lvl you went stal over go back where you are taht be better the get you a opoint to stal over or not hops mass effect made restboot misson better"

    is that english?!

  • sanim02

    Posted Mar 8, 2009 12:00 pm PT

    The games gonna be sweet.. Hope it DOES go multiplat, I just can't play games on a PC.. Please come on PS3 or Wii Oh and BTW, MONTREAL RULES!!!... I wonder where it is so I can go there and get kicked out

  • airguitargiles

    Posted Mar 6, 2009 12:41 pm PT

    I hope EA don't ruin this franchise...

  • Darthnaevus

    Posted Mar 6, 2009 10:27 am PT

    whats that you say

  • jason19 posted Mar 4, 2009 10:25 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    jason19

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 10:25 pm PT (hide)

    + you ship get suff i hope do that suck must stall over way back talk to all agin

  • jason19 posted Mar 4, 2009 10:24 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    jason19

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 10:24 pm PT (hide)

    well i hope lest the games cotnot form the end you pick the llvl went to kill lest stal over and world i hops so EA that be grast ident to put coutnin you do mission bay weapon and time restboot form frist part games i hope can selet lvl you went stal over go back where you are taht be better the get you a opoint to stal over or not hops mass effect made restboot misson better

  • arcelonious

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 12:34 pm PT

    For those that think Mass Effect 2 is going to come out on the PS3, I really wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it. Although I'm sure that Bioware and EA wouldn't mind going multi-"console"(seeing as Dragon Age is multiconsole) they probably would have a hard time doing it since the first Mass Effect was published by Microsoft Game Studios. Since the developers are making a game for players who have already played the first one, it would only do PS3 owners a disservice since they wouldn't have game saves from the previous Mass Effect. Thus, unless the first Mass Effect somehow manages to make its way to the PS3, I wouldn't expect a Mass Effect 2 PS3 release.

    And in regards to someone's comments saying that Bioware releases "buggy" games, I think they're confusing their products with sequels made from the other developer Obsidian. For example, Bioware developed the first Knights of the Old Republic and Neverwinter Nights. The sequels, however, were made by Obsidian, and it is those sequels that are the ones that were lackluster and "buggy."

  • Copianames posted Mar 4, 2009 5:05 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Copianames

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 5:05 am PT (hide)

    700 people at Quebecois and they can't make a half decent game?


    EA just ruined another game franchise.

  • ssfire8

    Posted Mar 4, 2009 12:56 am PT

    this should be really cool

  • NAT3

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 8:01 pm PT

    ea is going to ruin mass effect bio ware should go independent i dispise ea

  • GATX131Calamity

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 4:57 pm PT

    thats what I'm worried about too jzdisturbed...

  • Darthnaevus

    Posted Mar 3, 2009 4:15 pm PT

    YES YES! ahahah time to get a job as a QA tester now *evil laugh*

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