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BioWare Doctors Lecture BAFTA (Video)

A while back, we reported on an interview that Eurogamer did with BioWare Co-founders Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr Ray Muzyka with BAFTA where we learned that over 1 million players had participated in Star Wars: The Old Republic testing. Well, that wasn’t the only thing the Doctors were there to do.

Today, BAFTA posted two videos, totaling about an hour’s worth of content. First was a lecture on the creation of games and their philosophy and some process behind how BioWare thinks. The second video is a more intimate Q&A between the moderator and the Doctors. You can find both videos on this page (sorry, we cannot embed them here.)

While these videos don’t have to do directly with TOR, they are a great watch for fans of BioWare and people who like to take a peek behind the curtain at the business of making games. Hop on over to BAFTA Guru to watch!

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Up To 1.5 Million Players Already Online + The Doctors Ring In NASDAQ

Computers And Video Games is reporting that Star Wars: The Old Republic may already have 1.5 million players already queuing up to play the game (as if you didn’t notice ;) Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz had this to say:

Based on the number of servers now in operation, and the relatively high densities thereon, we feel fairly comfortable estimating that the game already has in excess of 1 million players, and potentially could have as many as 1.5 million

He goes on to estimate that this is about 29% of the total number of servers that Blizzard operates for World of Warcraft. He also notes that the population density of TOR servers (relative to server capacity) appears to be greater than that of WoW servers.

Off to a great start? I’d say so. Biggest (and Smoothest). Launch. Ever.

In other awesome launch day news for Electronics Arts, BioWare Co-Founders Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka were on Wall Street this morning to ring the opening bell and usher in the trading day for the NASDAQ exchange.

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Dr. Greg Shows His Colors For TOR (Both Of Them!)

Ok, heads up to the BioWare peeps: you have the coolest boss ever.

Today, BioWare Co-Founder and Co-Doctor Greg Zeschuk showed exactly where his allegiances lie – without committing to a thing! We know he’s already committed to Star Wars: The Old Republic, but by looking at the pic below, we still don’t know which faction he’s leaning towards!

In any case, when you get a tattoo it’s a serious commitment (unless you’re Tommy Lee.) It’s great to see the spirit of Dr. Greg firing on that level – it has to be the ultimate motivation for the troops!

And if I say so myself, that’s not a bad looking tattoo… hmmm… maybe it’s time!

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BioWare: A Force To Be Reckoned With

Fast Company, a magazine dedicated to progressive entrepreneurship and business, takes a look at BioWare and just how big of a bet Star Wars: The Old Republic is for Electronic Arts:

The stakes are as big as the game. For BioWare and its parent company, Electronic Arts, the release of The Old Republic is nothing short of transformational, according to Michael Hickey, senior analyst at National Alliance Capital Partners.

But beyond the financials, the article also takes a nice look at what makes BioWare great, from the writing to the ethos:

BioWare has become something akin to Pixar: a boutique production studio that wins critical acclaim for its rich storytelling, despite the less refined reputation of its parent company. If BioWare’s narrative magic works for the MMO genre, the game could be a blockbuster.

The article closes with the white elephant in the room: what if it fails?

Given the high degree of peril involved with this project, do Muzyka and Zeschuk worry The Old Republic might flop? “We have a pretty healthy sense of paranoia, so when we’re testing a game we know what problems to anticipate,” Muzyka says. “It’s something we’re used to as doctors–there’s always something new to learn in medicine.” His expression is open yet reveals nothing. “Besides,” shrugs the avid poker player, “I’ve played the game. I know it’s fun.”

Head on over to Fast Company for the full read – it’s a must for TOR fans, BioWare fans and entrepreneurs alike!

 

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The NDA Has Been Lifted!

Moments ago, BioWare Co-founder Dr. Greg Zeschuk announced that the NDA for Star Wars: The Old Republic has been lifted:

Folks,

As of now, the non disclosure portion of our Game Testing Agreement is officially lifted. While all players must still accept the Game Testing Agreement, from this point on testers may now freely talk about their experiences this past weekend in the game, as well as post screenshots and gameplay videos of their testing experiences. We encourage you to come join us on the officialStar Wars™: The Old Republic™ Forums to share your experiences!

The Star Wars: The Old Republic community site will have a copy of this message on the forums and it will also appear in the Patcher. Players may not talk about nor reprint posts from our testing forums as they are still fully covered by the confidentiality portions of our Game Testing Agreement. And all players who want to participate in the upcoming Beta Test Weekends still have to accept all terms of the Game Testing Agreement. So, other than that, free feel to talk about and share your experiences inStar Wars: The Old Republic.

My thanks go out to everyone who has beta tested and continues to beta test the game. It has been with your help and feedback that Star Wars: The Old Republic is where it is today. We really appreciate your efforts.

May the Force be with you!

Greg Zeschuk
VP, Electronic Arts, BioWare Austin, General Manager

What does this mean for us, you and everyone? It means that all testers can begin talking about and sharing their experiences with anyone and of course that means all of the testers in next weekend’s open beta will be able to talk about it as well!

We’ll be hosting a live Q&A tonight in the Ask A Jedi Cantina. We were originally just going to be talking about the Fan Sire Summit, but for now, all bets are off! Stop on by, you can find the info on how to join us here.

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