BioWare founders wanted to take over Electronic Arts for „$2 billion a year,” but Star Wars stood in the way

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As a gaming enthusiast myself, I was once pondering over the idea of my studio taking over EA, but the lack of that magical Star Wars-licensed game’s power held me back.

Intriguingly, it seems that Greg Zeschuk had an unconventional idea, a point he subtly suggested to Simon Parkin during their recent discussion on the My Perfect Console podcast (as reported by PC Gamer).

The roots of these lofty goals stem from Star Wars: The Old Republic – a renowned MMO game that carries one of the most iconic brands in history. This was the final venture that Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka (co-founder of BioWare) undertook, secretly wishing for tremendous success, with an aspiration for revenue as high as approximately 2 billion dollars annually.

Indeed, if Zeschuk and Muzyka were to present their case for leadership at Electronic Arts, acquiring control wouldn’t guarantee a complete takeover but it would certainly bolster their argument. However, despite the success and ongoing life of SWTOR, it was never able to dethrone World of Warcraft. The game had substantial production costs due to full dubbing and classic BioWare dialogues. Interestingly, only a year after its release, SWTOR shifted to a free-to-play model. Regrettably, both developers departed from EA shortly following the launch of SWTOR.

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2025-02-25 17:02