BioWare’s rise and shutdown get a documentary, filmed before EA closed the studio

The studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age is getting a feature documentary, and its cameras were already rolling long before the end came. Massive Effect: The BioWare Story began filming two years before Electronic Arts announced BioWare’s closure on October 21, so the crew was there for the final chapter too.

The founding story is unusual by any industry standard. Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip were three medical doctors when they started the Edmonton studio in 1995, and their role-playing games, from Baldur’s Gate to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, went on to sell 100 million copies. All three founders appear in the film.

As Deadline first reported, Canadian filmmaker Akash Sherman (Clara) writes and directs, with Shane Fennessey’s Fennessey Films and Adam Scorgie’s Score G Productions co-producing for Canada’s Super Channel. The interview list reads like a who’s who of the medium: former EA chief John Riccitiello, Lucasfilm Games vice president Douglas Reilly, Mass Effect game director Casey Hudson, The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley, voice actor Jennifer Hale and long-time BioWare developers including Mark Darrah, David Gaider and Drew Karpyshyn.

The best stories never really end. They live on in our memories.

Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, BioWare co-founders

According to Deadline, EA shut the studio after its recent releases underperformed, and 400 jobs were cut. Fans get a part in the film as well: the producers have set up a website where the community can send in photos, videos and stories for a chance to appear on screen.

Having the founders, the former EA boss and the developers in one film gives it more than one side of the story to tell. Super Channel is planning a festival run and a world premiere next year; there is no date yet, and no word on distribution outside Canada beyond worldwide sales being handled by Upstream Flix.

Reported by Deadline, 80 Level. Compiled with AI tools.