As we told you a few days ago, Drew Karpyshyn is leaving BioWare for the second time. In his blog post, he mentioned that he was joining Fogbank Games, that has been launched by FoxNext Games, a division of 21st Century Fox. Now it turns out that a few of his old colleagues is also joining the studio, as Daniel Erickson will act as studio director. Daniel Erickson was the lead writer on Star Wars: The Old Republic and also worked on Dragon Age: Origins before leaving Bioware in 2012. He’s since held a number of roles, most recently at Kabam, as mobile game designer, were he hold a key role in the development of Star Wars: Uprising, that’s now shut down. The rest of the 20-strong team includes executive producer Nathan Germick, who also joins from Kabam, and former Bioware writer Alexander Freed ( storyline writer of the imperial agent!) ,…
Drew Karpyshyn
Drew Karpyshyn leaving Bioware
Last night Drew Karpyshyn tweeted that he is leaving BioWare. This is the second time Drew Karpyshyn is leaving the studio to pursue new ventures. It’s Friday (at least in my time zone) and I’m finally able to go public with my big announcement! *******drumroll******* As of last Friday, I have left BioWare to pursue other creative ventures. For more details, go to my NEWS page: https://t.co/cmSV0up2Sa — Drew Karpyshyn (@DrewKarpyshyn) March 9, 2018 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 joined BioWare in 2000 and wrote most of the scenario and much of the dialogue for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and was one of the lead writers and planners on Jade Empire, as well as working on several games in the Baldur’s Gate series. His next major project was…
A Mother’s Hope – SWTOR Story Blog
If there is one thing BioWare is good at, it is story. Actually I’ll go as far as saying that it is the best story creating video game creating company in the industry. Here is the prove. a short story on Vaylin and Senya written by our main man Drew Karpyshyn. Senya braced herself as she began her descent; the polluted atmosphere of Ord Mantell made turbulence common. Tightening her grip on the controls, she fought to stabilize the shuttle as it rattled and bucked. A sharp, high pitched beep rose from the back of the ship, the various machines hooked up to Arcann’s unconscious body in the makeshift med-bay signaling in protest as they were jostled by the rough ride. She was coming in fast and steep, making the turbulence worse. But the longer she stayed airborne, the greater the chance sensors from the surface would pick her up. The…
Drew Karpyshin Working on New Content (after KOTFE)
One of the best parts of following your favorite game writers on Twitter is that from time to time they will drop little hints about what they are working on. Contracts prevent them from flat-out telling you the real deal (and where would be the fun in that anyway?) but they will often give the nerdy fans at home (yeah, that’s me) some insight into what they’re actually doing. Such is the case recently with Drew Karpyshin who had this little gem on Twitter: .@aeriston77 Workng on new content that won’t be out for quite a while. Lots of lead time in the games industry. — Drew Karpyshyn (@DrewKarpyshyn) September 24, 2015 So this tells us two things: Ask Drew a question on Twitter and you very well might get an answer. Drew is working on new content after KOTFE. As he explains in his answer, there is a lot…
Drew Karpyshyn Returns to Star Wars: The Old Republic!
I can honestly say I never thought I’d be writing this post after Drew left SWTOR but he has recently posted some very big news on his blog. In true Drew fashion, he packed THREE big updates in this one post and if you don’t follow him or managed to miss this, here is the part you might be most interested in: Speaking of full circle, here’s the second piece of big news: as of this past week, I am back working at BioWare again! For those who don’t know, I spent over a decade with BioWare working on many award winning and fan-beloved games like Mass Effect 1&2, Knights of the Old Republic and the Star Wars: The Old Republic Online MMO. A few years ago I left BioWare to focus on my Chaos Born novels, but now that the trilogy is finished, I’ve decided to come back into the…
Will The Old Republic Be Canon in Star Wars? Interview w/ Drew Karpyshyn
Who knows more about Star Wars canon and games than Drew Karpyshyn? In this great interview, Drew talks about canon and his experience writing about Star Wars, Darth Bane writing and more. This 40-minute interview is a good listen and is well worth the time to hear what Drew has to say about upcoming Star Wars books and what other things he has been up to lately. Drew has a bit of a reputation as being “The Old Republic guy” when it comes to writing so the interview also explores the question of “Will The Old Republic be canon in Star Wars”? Here’s a really great interview from schmoesknow that answers a lot of great questions about the Star Wars universe. Check out the video for yourself here: “Kristian is back with another Star Wars video. This time he sits down to chat with the author of Darth Bane as well…
Theron Shan Comes to SWTOR with Patch 2.7
Alexander Freed, Charles Boyd and Drew Karpyshyn have been tweeting about Theron Shan making his way into SWTOR with patch 2.7 and you can view the conversation for yourself blow. If you are not familiar with this guy, I can tell you he is a Republic spy in Republic SIS, and the secret son of Satele Shan, making him a direct descendant of the legendary Jedi Knights Revan and Bastila Shan. He is also the main protagonist in the webcomic series The Lost Suns, and the main character in the novel by Drew Karpyshyn called Annihilation SWTOR Lead Writer Charles Boyd said that Alexander Freed and Drew Karpyshyn, who both featured Theron Shan in their books, had a large influence on the Theron Shan in SWTOR and set a high standard for this character. Also Alexander Freed seems to be working on a new SWTOR project since he’s gone freelance but we can’t be certain. Will have to keep an…
Jawajames Reads Star Wars: The old republic Annihilation
If you haven’t read Annihilation by Drew Karpyshyn yet, your are missing out. The book have been out for about year now, and reviews have been positive. Annihilation with the possible exception of Revan also written by Drew Karpyshyn is quite possibly the best novel based around Star Wars: the Old Republic video game franchise. While it is not free of it’s flaws it is very enjoyable to read and easy to do so. It was one of the few Star Wars books that I have read recently that kept me turning pages. The best part about the novel is its characters. Theron Shan, first introduced in a the Old Republic comic series, is an intriguing character considering his background, lineage, and the fact that he is not a Jedi. However, I thought that his character lacked a measure of conflict. He seemed too at ease with his position in…
EUCantina Interviews Drew Karpyshyn
The guys over at EU Cantina had the chance to sit down and interview Drew Karpyshyn. The interview is mainly about his new book Annihilation, but Drew Karpyshyn also answers questions regarding Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil. Unfortunately the interview don’t touch his work on Star Wars: The old republic, But Mr. Karpyshyn love to see it make the jump to TV or the big screen someday. EUC: Aside from The Tales of the Jedi and Knight Errant, most of The Old Republic novels and comics tie directly into video games. As you peer into the future, where does The Old Republic era go from here? DK: I think the Old Republic era is going to continue to grow. It’s proven quite popular with the fans, and it still has so much untapped potential for authors and other creative types to explore. In addition to more games, books and graphic novels, I’d love to see it make the jump to…
Star Wars: The Old Republic – Annihilation reviews
Not sure about getting the new Star Wars: The Old Republic book by Drew Karpyshyn yet? Well this might help you out. We have collected all the book reviews we could find around the net, so you could make a decision. Personally I found the book to be awesome, but don’t take my word for it. Check out the reviews below: Eucantina: Overall, Annihilation is an extremely fun adventure filled with some humor (like a certain character’s landing on Coruscant) and nods to the films (“I owe you one.” “The Jedi don’t keep track of such things.”). I highly recommend checking it out, even if you’re not familiar with the era. Just watch out for those video game spoilers. and gives the book 4,5 out of 5. starwarsreport.com: Surprisingly I really liked this book. I haven’t been following the Old Republic Era in the books and I have not gotten into the MMO so I didn’t…
Drew Karpyshyn’s The Old Republic: Revan in paperback out today
If you haven’t already got a copy of Drew Karpyshyn’s Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan, now might be our chance. Randomhouse just released Revan as paperback for a price of $7.99. You can order the book directly from Random house. We have previously wrote about this book, and you can read an interview with Drew Karpyshyn about the book here or read an excerpt from the book here, any way I recommend you to check it out, if you are into reading or Star Wars Lore. Excerpt: Hero, traitor, conqueror, villain, savior—the man called Revan has been all of these. He left Coruscant a Jedi, on a mission to defeat the Mandalorians. He returned a Sith disciple, bent on destroying the Republic. The Jedi Council gave Revan his life back, but the price of redemption was the loss of his memories. All that’s left are nightmares—and deep, abiding fear. What happened…
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Annihilation Cover Blurb Now Online
It seems like the cover Art for The Old Republic: Encyclopedia isn’t the only book news we get today. Random House has posted the jacket text for the upcoming The Old Republic: Annihilation, written by Drew Karpyshyn and due out November 13, 2012! Synopsis The Sith Empire is in flux. The Emperor is missing, presumed dead, and an ambitious Sith lord’s attempt to seize the throne has ended fatally. Still, Darth Karrid, commander of the fearsome Imperial battle cruiserAscendant Spear, continues her relentless efforts to achieve total Sith domination of the galaxy. But Karrid’s ruthless determination is more than matched in the steely resolve of Theron Shan, whose unfinished business with the Empire could change the course of the war for good. Though the son of a Jedi master, Theron does not wield the Force—but like his renowned mother, the spirit of rebellion is in his blood. As a top covert…
The Old Republic: Annihilation Cover Art Info
Drew Karpyshyn has announced on his website that the two characters on the back cover of his upcoming novel; The Old Republic: Annihilation are indeed Darth Karrid, the Falleen and Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, the Kel Dor and narrator of the Timeline videos for The Old Republic. Drew says on his blog: The man on the front is Theron Shan, the main protagonist. I’ve had some people ask if he was modeled after me. (People asked the same thing about the default image of Commander Shepard as well.) I guess I can see it, since we do share some features: white guys with shorter, darker hair; two eyes, one nose. But beyond that… not so much. On the back cover of the Annihilation novel, you see Darth Karrid, the main villain in the story. She’s the one with the red lightsaber. You also see Jedi Master Gnost-Dural, the narrator for the history holocron updates for SWTOR. If you…
Drew Karpyshyn New Novel Coming Soon
While he recently announced his official departure from BioWare, Drew Karpyshyn hinted he has a new novel in the works. Before now, there was not a lot known about the next novel in the Star Wars The Old Republic series but an announcement on publisher Del Ray’s Facebook page indicates otherwise. Del Ray announced on their Facebook page: First, DARTH BANE and REVAN author Drew Karpyshyn is cranking away on his next novel, STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC: ANNIHILATION. Republic agent Theron Shan and his Twi’lek compadre, Teff’ith (from Dark Horse Comics’ STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC: THE LOST SUNS) must contend with a Sith Empire counter-attack against the Republic, spearheaded by the lethal apprentice of Darth Malgus. Satele Shan and Jace Malcolm co-star in what will be a fast-paced and tension-fraught tale based on the award-winning video game from BioWare and LucasArts. This is great news for Karpyshyn fans…
Drew Karpyshyn Says Goodbye to BioWare
Drew Karpyshyn promised big news on his weekly blog updatetoday but we had no idea how big this news would be. He has now announced thathe will be leaving BioWare after 12 years of working together. He notes thatthe decision was 100% his and that he is leaving BioWare on good terms. Drew writes: Forthe past twelve years I’ve had the privilege to work at one of the bestcompanies in the video game industry, side by side with the most talented andincredible group of people I’ve ever had the good fortune to know. I’ve enjoyedmy time at BioWare immensely, but it’s time for me to move on. I’mleaving to focus more time and energy on my novels and other non-video gamerelated projects. But even though I’ll no longer be working on games forBioWare, I’m not going to be severing all ties with them. Many of my closestfriends still work at…
Star Wars Books Interviews Drew Karpyshyn
As we celebrate the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan today, Star Wars Books, has released an interview with author Drew Karpyshyn. In the interview, Drew Karpyshyn Talks about every thing from his work on the Mass Effect series, new Darth Bane stories plus goodies about the new SWTOR Book we talked about a few weeks ago. Can you reveal anything about next TOR novel you’re writing, currently set for a Fall 2012 release? I can’t really say anything right now, other than that it will take place after the events of the game. One of the criticisms of The Old Republic, based on the cinematic trailers we’ve seen, is that the technology is too similar to that of the Original Trilogy. What do you think about that? Should the technology used 4,000 years before A New Hope be extremely primitive compared to what we see in Episode…
A Storm is Coming Says Drew Karpyshyn
A storm is coming, as Drew Karpyshyn says on his website- a storm of publicity for his new book. We’ve told you about the Revan novel before but now that we are closer to the release date for the book, the news is really booming. In addition to the synopsis and other excerpts we’ve brought you over the weeks, you can now also find Chapter 3 of the novel. This just might be one of the last sneak peeks we get since the book is releasing very soon! Barnes and Noble now has the book available for preorder if you already know that you want to make it yours. Their overview reads: There’s something out there: a juggernaut of evil bearing down to crush the Republic— unless one lone Jedi, shunned and reviled, can stop it. Revan: hero, traitor, conqueror, villain, savior. A Jedi who left Coruscant to defeat Mandalorians—and…
Entire Chapter 3 of Revan Novel Released
Another chapter of Star Wars’ ancient history is about to be revealed. Drew Karpyshyn’s novel Star Wars: The Old Republic — Revan, due Nov. 15, is the long-awaited follow-up to the 2003 videogame Knights of the Old Republic. We’ve been bringing you updates on this novel as we find them, including excerpts, a novel synopsis and more. Here is a snippet: Star Wars: The Old Republic — Revan picks up two years after Malak’s defeat, when the redeemed Revan is still trying to pick up the pieces of his old life and figure out what exactly made him turn to the Dark Side. All fans have known about Revan’s post-KOTOR life is that he took off for the Unknown Regions on the hunt for a dark threat to the Republic… and was never heard from again. Now his fate is about to be revealed, and EW’s…
Random House Releases Revan Novel Excerpt
Good news for Revan fans today! Random House posted an excerpt of Chapter One from Revan, Drew Karpyshyn‘s upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic novel. This is an add-on from the synopsis we previously reported this week. The book, which goes on sale November 15, 2011, is a must-read for SWTOR lore fans or anyone who follows Star Wars story or Karpyshyn’s work. Here in the excerpt, you can learn more about the environment and the people of Dromund Kass, and learn more about Lord Scourge. The novel synopsis is also available here, along with a bio of the author if you’re not familiar with his work. Check it out for a sneak peek at Chapter One and let us know what you think. Visit the Random House site to read the full excerpt. More from us about Revan: Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan Revan Mini Excerpts Drew Karpyshyn…
Star Wars: TOR: Revan Mini-Excerpt part 2
A few weeks ago, we reported that Star Wars Books on Facebook presents their a mini-excerpt from Drew Karpyshyn’s upcoming Darth Revan novel. Now Star Wars Books on Facebook presents their second mini-excerpt from the book: “It’s not enough to secure your silence through threats and blackmail. When we finally move against the Emperor, I want you on our side.” “And how do you intend to convince me?” … “Have you ever heard tales of the Emperor’s childhood?” Scourge shook his head. “I don’t even know what planet he’s from.” “Few people do. He’s hidden his past, because if the truth came to light none would follow him.” The book is scheduled to be released on November 15th, 2011 from Del Rey Books. No official reviews are up from the book yet, but we will keep you informed as they show up.
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan
Random House has a good chunk of the first chapter of Drew Karpyshyn new novel Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan up on its site. Critics haven’t been nice on the book so far but so far they have all be unofficial reviews. Any ways, here is a chance to check it our for yourself: LORD SCOURGE RAISED the hood of his cloak as he stepped off the shuttle, a shield against the wind and pelting rain. Storms were common here on Dromund Kaas; dark clouds perpetually blocked out the sun, rendering terms like day and night meaningless. The only natural illumination came from the frequent bursts of lightning arcing across the sky, but the glow from the spaceport and nearby Kaas City provided more than enough light to see where he was going. The powerful electrical storms were a physical manifestation of the dark side power that engulfed the entire…
Drew Karpyshyn to write fourth SWTOR Novel
Erich Schoeneweiss posted on on the Star Wars Books Facebook page: Just announced at our Del Rey Star Wars books panel: Drew Karpyshyn will write a fourth novel that will tie into The Old Republic for Fall 2012 and Tim Zahn will write a new novel starring Han Solo set in the classic films era. More details to come on both as they develop. (ES) So Karpyshyn’s doing the fourth SWTOR book… is that to say that the Kemp duo isn’t SWTOR? Or that if they were, they’d be coming out after Karpyshyn’s? Excellent anyways! My two favorite SW writers. Can’t wait!
Friday Update: Signs of War Trailer & Operations Systems Page
It’s a good day for fans of The Old Republic. Not only did we get some juicy new info out of the NYCC Panel but we also get to feast our eyes on a new Trailer and Operations Systems Page. It looks like BioWare decided to let the floodgates open today with a collection of five announcements! Here’s the list: They debuted the new “Signs of War” trailer at New York Comic Con. You can watch it below. The game will now launch simultaneously in North America and Europea on December 20. Learn about high-level Operations on the new Game Systems page. Drew Karpyshyn, author of the upcoming Revan novel, will be signing books and participating in panels all weekend at New York Comic Con. SWTOR will be featured at Paris Games Week from October 21-25. The trailer titled “Signs of War” is narrated by Satele Shan and features the trooper from…
Revan Mini Excerpts
Del Rey’s Star Wars Books Facebook page has posted a mini-excerpt from Drew Karpyshyn’s upcoming novel The Old Republic: Revan. Check it out below: I should have guessed it was you.” Revan rose from his chair to face the speaker. She wore the robes of a Jedi Archivist, though she was in fact a Jedi Master. She was young for the position, but her hair was platinum white. She had cold blue eyes, and a pale complexion that spoke of a life spent inside the Archives, sheltered from the sun. “Atris,” Revan said, silently cursing. Aparently Del Rey’s Star Wars team will continue posting mini-excerpts from upcoming Star Wars novels on their Facebook page every Thursday. Besides Del Rey’s first mini-excerpt, RandomHouse.com has also posted a new audio excerpt for the upcoming novel as narrated by Marc Thompson. Listen to it below: