Heroes Unite! Partnership between BioWare and Irrational Games announced!

By Jay Watamaniuk March 8, 2005

BioWare has teamed up with Irrational Games to help promote the launch of Irrational's new release, the super-powered epic Freedom Force® vs. The 3rd Reich. This new partnership is a direct result of BioWare's mission to deliver the best story-driven games in the world and seek out other game developers that share this vision. Both companies see an opportunity to combine their strengths as developers and as community innovators to benefit their loyal community members. BioWare aims to raise awareness of this great title through the BioWare Online Store and the BioWare Community.

We got a chance to speak with Ken Levine, the General Manager and Creative Director of Irrational Games:

What are the major changes from the first Freedom Force game?

Ken: Besides tons of gorgeous enhancements like dynamic lights, the game features an epic new storyline featuring six new heroes and dozens of new villains. The AI has also been immensely improved. Now, your team members will fight back if evil shows its face while the player isn't paying attention. In short, everything has been streamlined, reworked, and polished. In addition, multiplayer has been completely upgraded with an in-game browser, tons of modes, dynamic content transfer to support custom skins, and more.

I heard the Freedom Force multiplayer game has received a super-upgrade of Energy X since the first Freedom Force. What can roleplaying fans expect?

Ken: Irrational has completely revamped multiplayer and added several new modes including the revolutionary Story-Based Multiplayer. This new mode will finally give players the power of their own imagination. We're essentially allowing gamers the ability to create whatever scenario they can dream up. The best part is this can be done in a few simple steps. Modders and newbies alike should eat it up.

How did the partnership with BioWare begin and what was the reasoning behind this move?

Ken: I think we're very simpatico with BioWare. BioWare and Irrational have very similar philosophies on games. We don't believe games have to be built for the lowest common denominator. We don't believe games with depth and intelligence are only for the hardcore. Realizing that we share many of the same fans, the two companies decided that they could help not only each other, but also the fans by forming a partnership.

To be clear, is BioWare becoming a publisher of Freedom Force?

Ken: No. Irrational Games is publishing Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich and it is being distributed at retail by Vivendi Universal Games. We are working with BioWare to help promote the game because we know they understand the kind of gamer who will like our game. Given what big fans we are of BioWare (and how cool it's been to work with another developer for once!) we hope this is just the beginning.

What can you tell us about 'Mod Force'?

Ken: Irrational has some amazingly dedicated fans. www.freedomfans.com has tons of mod tutorials, message boards and all the info you need about all things Freedom Force. The "Mod Force" section of the site contains detailed walkthroughs on how to mod just about everything. It's also a place to download all the hottest new tools in the Freedom Force modding universe.

If I am a hardcore RPG modder will the Freedom Force tools be of interest to me and, if so, why?

Ken: You bet. One of Irrational's core goals with Freedom Force was to empower its community and foster a creative environment where modders could continue to expand the game. The popularity of Freedom Force modding has helped the community grow and has inspired hundreds of fansites.

BioWare is a Canadian company and we are wondering if the following taken from your website is true: "Is being 'big in Europe' like having a girlfriend in Canada?" :)

Ken: Listen, as a kid growing up spending all my time playing Dungeons and Dragons and Atari 2600, I had to tell people something. The advantage to having a "girlfriend from Canada" is that people think you actually have a girlfriend, but she never has to, you know, actually exist!

FAQ Questions Answered By Irrational Games

1. What is the relationship between Irrational Games and BioWare?

BioWare and Irrational are both independent companies. BioWare was kind enough to help support Irrational by letting them know about how cool Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich is.

2. Is BioWare the publisher for Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich?

BioWare is not the publisher of Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich. Irrational Games is publishing the game and Vivendi Universal is distributing it. BioWare and Irrational hooked up and decided that Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich might be a game that BioWare's fan base might be into, so we asked them to help us promote it. Much to our (pleasant) surprise, they agreed.

3. What is BioWare's involvement in the development of Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich?

At this stage, the partnership is primarily a promotional one. Our goal is to grow it into something deeper. BioWare is one of the rare companies that have done a significant amount of work with other developers (Obsidian, Floodgate, etc.) and Irrational Games got their start in partnerships with other developers (we co-developed System Shock 2 with the late, great Looking Glass) and so were both comfortable with finding ways to work together.

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