Ray Muzyka

Last updated
Ray Muzyka

CM
Ray Muzyka 2011.jpg
Muzyka at interview by G4TV at E3 2011.
Born
Raymond Alexander Muzyka

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Nationality Canadian
Other namesRaymond Muzyka
Known forFounder of BioWare
Awards AIAS Hall of Fame Award (2011) [1]

Raymond Alexander Muzyka CM is a Canadian investor, entrepreneur and physician. Originally trained as a medical doctor and practicing as an emergency department and family physician after graduation, he is the co-founder of video game developer BioWare, and was CEO, senior vice president, and general manager of the BioWare label of Electronic Arts. [2] [3] In October 2012 he announced that he was embarking on a 'third career' mentoring and angel investing in technology, new media, medical and social entrepreneurs, and impact investing at ThresholdImpact. [4] [5]

Contents

Career

Muzyka co-founded BioWare, which was incorporated in 1995, with Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, in the early 1990s after they earned their medical degrees at the University of Alberta. [6] [7] After selling BioWare to Electronic Arts in 2008, Muzyka became a general manager and vice president at EA in addition to his CEO role at BioWare, and subsequently was promoted to senior vice president and general manager of the BioWare label at EA.

In addition to his project development role, Muzyka has also managed the financial, human resources, operations, marketing and legal business side of BioWare, and he completed his executive Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program in 2001 at the Ivey School of Business, UWO. [8] He completed his Medical Doctorate (MD) in 1992 from the University of Alberta, and subsequently obtained his specialization from the Canadian College of Family Physicians (CCFP) in 1994. [9] Muzyka was named as one of Canada's "Top 40 under 40" [10] in 2001, received Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award (Software and Information, Prairies) in 2001, [11] and the BDC Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 1997. [11] Muzyka also graduated from Old Scona Academic High School in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada where he took the International Baccalaureate program, finishing fourth worldwide and first in North America the year he graduated. [12] Muzyka was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences' Hall of Fame in 2011., [13] received the Lifetime Achievement award from the International Game Developers Choice Awards in 2013, [14] and was named as the 2017 Allard Chair in Business at MacEwan University. [15] He was named into the Alberta Business Hall of Fame in 2018. [16] On December 27, 2018, Muzyka was appointed to the Order of Canada. [17] In 2019 Muzyka received the Rod Charko Service Award from the Venture Capital Association of Alberta for his service to the startup entrepreneurial community in the province of Alberta. [18]

Muzyka is an active member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), [19] and a Charter Member of the A100 since 2012. [20] He has also served as the Founding Chair of the University of Alberta Venture Mentoring Service since fall 2013, [21] a program intended to help develop, uplift and inspire University of Alberta student and alumni entrepreneurs by creating excellent mentorship experiences for both entrepreneurs and mentors. [22] Muzyka served from 2014 to 2020 as a member of the University of Alberta Board of Governors, and as Chair of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee. [23] He serves as a mentor in the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL West Prime and Health, CDL Rockies Prime, CDL Toronto Health). [24] Muzyka was a board member of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences from 2001 to 2008. He also served the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation as a volunteer Director on their Board of Trustees from 2012 to late 2015. [25]

In October 2012 Muzyka announced on the BioWare website that he was retiring from the video game industry and that he is moving on to a 'third career chapter', mentoring and investing in entrepreneurs in technology, new media, medical innovation, and social entrepreneurs and impact investing. [4] [2] He announced his new company, Threshold Impact, [5] in early 2013, to be focused on "sustainable, profitable impact investing". [26]

An avid poker player who plays in the WSOP and other events each year, Muzyka won the inaugural DICE poker tournament, [27] in 2006 which featured a range of notable poker celebrities such as Scott Fischman, Chris Ferguson and Perry Friedman, playing heads-up with Mike Morhaime from Blizzard Entertainment at the final table. He also became the only player thus far to win the DICE tournament twice, when he chopped the final table with three other players for first place again in the 2010 DICE tournament. He competed in the 2008 WCPC CPT Main Event (Western Canadian Main Event, Canadian Poker Tour) and chopped the final table with the final four players to take home the 2008 WCPC ring. He finished 374th of 7319 players in the 2010 Main Event of the WSOP.

BioWare projects credited with platforms and dates

Awards and recognition

In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time alongside BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk. [32]

At the Game Developers Choice Awards, on March 27, 2013, Muzyka was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. [33]

On December 27, 2018, Muzyka was appointed to the Order of Canada. [17]

Related Research Articles

<i>Baldurs Gate</i> Franchise of fantasy role-playing video games

Baldur's Gate is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting. The game has spawned two series, known as the Bhaalspawn Saga and the Dark Alliance, both taking place mostly within the Western Heartlands, but the Bhaalspawn Saga extends to Amn and Tethyr. The Dark Alliance series was released for consoles and was critically and commercially successful. The Bhaalspawn Saga was critically acclaimed for using pausable realtime gameplay, which is credited with revitalizing the computer role-playing game (CRPG) genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BioWare</span> Canadian video game developer

BioWare is a Canadian video game developer based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Augustine Yip, alongside Trent Oster, Brent Oster, and Marcel Zeschuk. Since 2007, the company has been owned by American publisher Electronic Arts.

<i>Neverwinter Nights</i> (2002 video game) Dungeons & Dragons video game

Neverwinter Nights is a third-person role-playing video game developed by BioWare. Interplay Entertainment was originally set to publish the game, but financial difficulties led to it being taken over by Infogrames, who released the game under their Atari range of titles. It is the first installment in the Neverwinter Nights series and was released for Microsoft Windows on June 18, 2002. BioWare later released a Linux client in June 2003, requiring a purchased copy of the game to play. MacSoft released a Mac OS X port in August 2003.

<i>Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</i> (video game) 2003 video game

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. The first installment of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, it was released for the Xbox on July 16, 2003, and for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003. It was ported to Mac OS X, iOS, and Android by Aspyr, and it is playable on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S via backward compatibility. A Nintendo Switch version was released on November 11, 2021.

<i>Baldurs Gate II: Shadows of Amn</i> 2000 video game

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment. It is the sequel to Baldur's Gate (1998) and was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2000. Like Baldur's Gate, the game takes place in the Forgotten Realms—a fantasy campaign setting—and is based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition rules. Powered by BioWare's Infinity Engine, Baldur's Gate II uses an isometric perspective and pausable real-time gameplay. The player controls a party of up to six characters, one of whom is the player-created protagonist, while the others are certain characters recruited from the game world.

<i>Dragon Age: Origins</i> 2009 video game

Dragon Age: Origins is a 2009 role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. It is the first game in the Dragon Age franchise. Set in the fictional kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil strife, the game puts the player in the role of a warrior, mage, or rogue coming from an elven, human, or dwarven background. The player character is recruited into the Grey Wardens, an ancient order that stands against monstrous forces known as "Darkspawn", and is tasked with defeating the Archdemon that commands them and ending their invasion. The game is played from a third-person perspective that can be shifted to a top-down perspective. Throughout the game, players encounter various companions, who play major roles in the game's plot and gameplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minsc</span> Fictional character from Baldurs Gate

Minsc is a fictional character in the Baldur's Gate series of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing video games developed by BioWare. He originated from the pen-and-paper Dungeons & Dragons sessions held by the lead designer of Baldur's Gate, James Ohlen, and was expanded upon by the game's lead writer, Lukas Kristjanson. His video game debut was in Baldur's Gate as a companion character who can join the player's party. He also appears in the sequel, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, the expansion, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, the 2015 game Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, the 2023 game Baldur's Gate III, as well as in promotions relating to the titles. Minsc is voiced by Jim Cummings in his original video game appearances, and by Matt Mercer in Baldur's Gate 3.

<i>Jade Empire</i> 2005 action role-playing video game

Jade Empire is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare, originally published by Microsoft Game Studios in 2005 as an Xbox exclusive. It was later ported to Microsoft Windows personal computers (PC) and published by 2K in 2007. Later ports to macOS (2008) and mobile platforms (2016) were handled respectively by TransGaming and Aspyr. Set in a world inspired by Chinese mythology, players control the last surviving Spirit Monk on a quest to save their tutor Master Li and defeat the forces of corrupt emperor Sun Hai. The Spirit Monk is guided through a linear narrative, completing quests and engaging in action-based combat. With morality-based dialogue choices during conversations, the player can impact both story and gameplay progression in various ways.

<i>Neverwinter Nights 2</i> 2006 video game

Neverwinter Nights 2 is a role-playing video game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari Interactive. It is the second installment in the Neverwinter Nights series and is the sequel to BioWare's Neverwinter Nights, based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy tabletop role-playing game. Neverwinter Nights 2 utilizes an adaptation of the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition rules. Players create player characters to represent themselves in the game, using the same character creation rules as found in the Dungeons & Dragons game. They may gain the assistance of additional party members, and they eventually acquire a keep that can be used as a base of operations. Neverwinter Nights 2 is set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting—in and around the city of Neverwinter. The story is mostly unrelated to Neverwinter Nights and follows the journey of an orphaned adventurer investigating a group of mysterious artifacts known as "silver shards" and their connection to an ancient, evil spirit known as the King of Shadows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Zeschuk</span> General manager at BioWare Austin

Gregory Zeschuk is a Canadian businessman who was a VP at Electronic Arts and General Manager at BioWare Austin until 2012. He co-founded video game developer BioWare in Edmonton in 1995 with Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip, after all three earned their medical degrees from the University of Alberta. Zeschuk announced his retirement from BioWare on September 18, 2012. He is currently involved in a number of projects related to the craft-beer industry, including the production of a web-based interview show known as "The Beer Diaries." Greg is also the chairman of the board of the smart playground technology startup, Biba Ventures based in Vancouver, BC.

<i>Baldurs Gate</i> (video game) 1998 video game

Baldur's Gate is a fantasy role-playing video game that was developed by BioWare and published in 1998 by Interplay Entertainment. It is the first game in the Baldur's Gate series and takes place in the Forgotten Realms, a high fantasy campaign setting, using a modified version of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) 2nd edition rules. It was the first game to use the Infinity Engine for its graphics, with Interplay using the engine for other Forgotten Realms-licensed games, including the Icewind Dale series and Planescape: Torment. The game's story focuses on a player-made character who travels across the Sword Coast alongside a party of companions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Karpyshyn</span> Canadian novelist and video game designer

Drew Karpyshyn is a Canadian video game scenario writer, scriptwriter and novelist. He served as a senior writer for BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and lead writer for the first two Mass Effect video games. He left BioWare in 2012 to focus on his Chaos Born novels, and returned to it three years later in 2015. On March 9, 2018, he announced he was leaving BioWare once again to pursue his independent work.

James Ohlen is a video game designer. He was Senior Creative Director of BioWare where he worked for 22 years prior to starting the publishing company Arcanum Worlds in 2018. In 2019, Ohlen became the lead of a new internal development studio Archetype Entertainment under Wizards of the Coast to develop new intellectual property and video games for the company.

<i>Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford</i> 2006 video game

Darkness over Daggerford is a premium module for BioWare's Neverwinter Nights role-playing video game. It was released for digital distribution on August 16, 2006. Considered a user-made mod, the game was created by Canadian company Ossian Studios, headed by former BioWare employee Alan Miranda. It was remastered and released as an official premium module on June 1, 2018.

Alan Miranda is an American computer game designer.

Casey Hudson is a Canadian video game developer, known for his work on several of BioWare's video games, and mainly the Mass Effect trilogy as game director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gaider</span> Canadian writer and game designer

David Gaider is a Canadian narrative designer and writer. He was the lead writer and creator of the setting for the role-playing video game series Dragon Age.

IdeaSpark Labs Inc. is a Canadian video game developer founded in 2009 by BioWare co-founder Trent Oster and former BioWare lead programmer Cameron Tofer. Beamdog's distribution service was launched in July 2010.

The 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards is the 14th edition of the Interactive Achievement Awards, an annual awards event that honors the best games in the video game industry. The awards are arranged by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS), and were held at the Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 11, 2011. It was also held as part of the academy's 2011 D.I.C.E. Summit, and was hosted by stand-up comedian Jay Mohr.

References

  1. ↑ "D.I.C.E Special Awards" . Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  2. 1 2 Ray Muzyka (2012). "From Ray Muzyka". BioWare. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  3. ↑ BioWare (2012). "Ray Muzyka & Greg Zeschuk Retire". BioWare. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  4. 1 2 BioWare Community Team (18 September 2012). "From Ray Muzyka". bioware.com.
  5. 1 2 "Threshold Impact".
  6. ↑ Onstad, Katrina (October 23, 1999). "The West's new Gold Rush: Two young Edmonton doctors who created the Baldur's Gate phenomenon plot their next move: Doctors with an obsession for video games have created Baldur's Gate – a game that's selling feverishly", National Post , p. 2.
  7. ↑ Ewalt, David M. "Obsessed With Imagination: BioWare's Co-Founders On Storytelling And The Future Of Mass Effect". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2013-07-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ↑ "Physician Profile". Cpsa.ab.ca. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  10. ↑ "Recipients 2001" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-05. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
  11. 1 2 "High Score". Alberta Venture. 2002-01-19. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  12. ↑ "Ray Muzyka's Next Chapter". New Trail. 2014-05-12. Archived from the original on 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  13. ↑ "BioWare Founders Inducted Into AIAS Hall Of Fame". Archived from the original on 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2012-04-08.
  14. ↑ "Game Developers Choice Awards | Archive | Lifetime Achievement". Gamechoiceawards.com. 1997-10-04. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  15. ↑ "Allard Chair in Business - MacEwan University".
  16. ↑ "Dr. Ray Muzyka - Junior Achievement". janorthalberta.org. Archived from the original on 2018-10-25.
  17. 1 2 "Governor General announces 103 new appointments to the Order of Canada". 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  18. ↑ "6th Annual Rod Charko Service Award Winner". vcaa.ca. 2019-11-08. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  19. ↑ "Username / Password Sign In". ypowpo.org.[ permanent dead link ]
  20. ↑ "Raymond Muzyka". The A100. 2012-09-18. Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  21. ↑ "Gaming guru helps students level up – News & Events". News.ualberta.ca. 2013-11-06. Archived from the original on 2014-02-14. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  22. ↑ Canada. "UAlberta Venture Mentoring Service – Alumni and Friends". Alumni.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  23. ↑ "University Governance" (PDF). www.ualberta.ca. 2015-01-22. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  24. ↑ "From the ER to the Video Game Hall of Fame: Ray Muzyka of BioWare on Building a World Class Organization". creativedestructionlab.com. 2018-11-18. Retrieved 2018-12-08.
  25. ↑ "About Us". Stollerykids.com. 2012-09-18. Archived from the original on 2013-12-21. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  26. ↑ "About". Threshold Impact. 4 September 2012.
  27. ↑ "BioWare Joint CEO Snags Grand Prize in D.I.C.E. Poker Tournament". Archived from the original on February 3, 2008.
  28. ↑ "Sega Announces BioWare Will Create Sonic Role Playing Game For Nintendo DS". 2007-06-21. Archived from the original on 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
  29. 1 2 "Dragon Age Inquisition". Dragonage.com. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  30. 1 2 "Mass Effect". Mass Effect. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  31. ↑ "Star Wars: The Old Republic". Swtor.com. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  32. ↑ "IGN - 28. Greg Zeschuk & Ray Muzyka". IGN. Archived from the original on 2014-04-20. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  33. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (11 February 2013). "BioWare founders getting Lifetime Achievement Award". Gamespot. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Ray Muzyka at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.