Greg Zeschuk

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greg Zeschuk (2007).

Gregory P. Zeschuk (* 1969 in Edmonton ) is a Canadian game developer , entrepreneur and doctor . He is co-founder of the BioWare development studio , for which he worked from 1995 to 2012.

education

Zeschuk completed a medical degree at the University of Alberta , which he graduated in 1992. After a year of internship in Akron, Ohio , he returned to Edmonton to complete his general practitioner training in 1994. He also has an MBA from the Queen's University (Kingston) .

Career

In February 1995 Zeschuk founded the software development company BioWare in Edmonton with his fellow students Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip , but like his business partners continued to work as a doctor at the beginning. After the company initially mainly developed medical teaching software for the University of Alberta, it later switched to computer games. BioWare's first computer game Shattered Steel from 1996 was largely directed by Zeschuk.

After Yip left the company in 1997 and turned back to medicine, Zeschuk ran the company together with Muzyka. Under her leadership, BioWare has been featured in the list of 100 best places to work in Canada by Mediacorp Canada and Maclean’s several times .

As a developer he was involved in the creation of the titles Baldur's Gate (as production manager) and MDK2 (among other things as a designer). Together with Muzyka, Zeschuk was co-executive producer for all BioWare games until Electronic Arts took over the developer in 2008 , including Baldur's Gate 2 , Neverwinter Nights , Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic , Jade Empire , Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood and Mass Effect .

After BioWare was taken over by the US game publisher, Zeschuk was appointed Vice President of EA and Chief Creative Officer of the BioWare Group. Most recently, Zeschuk was Vice President EA and General Manager of the BioWare Austin branch. In September 2012, Zeschuk announced his departure from the company together with Ray Muzyka.

Outside employment

Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka (left) in an interview (2011).

Zeschuk is director and co-chairman of CodeBaby , a software development company specializing in next-generation user interfaces for digital media and the Internet. Zeschuk advised the exhibition The Art of Video Games at the Smithsonian American Art Museum , which opened in 2012 .

Awards

  • 1997 “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” (Alberta) from the Business Development Bank of Canada and “Export Development Award” (Canada) from the Export Development Corporation of Canada (together with Ray Muzyka and Augustine Yip).
  • 2001 "Canada's Top 40 under 40" (together with Ray Muzyka).
  • 2001 “Entrepreneur of the Year” in the software and information services category from the auditing firm Ernst & Young (together with Ray Muzyka).
  • 2004 Game Developers Choice Awards : IGDA Award for Community Contribution (together with Ray Muzyka).
  • 2011 induction into the AIAS Hall of Fame of the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (together with Ray Muzyka).
  • 2013 Game Developers Choice Awards: Lifetime Achievement Award (together with Ray Muzyka).

Ludography

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Young Entrepreneurs Awards: 10th anniversary Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. (Online view) In: Maclean’s . November 3, 1997. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  2. ↑ Obsessed With Imagination: BioWare's Co-Founders On Storytelling And The Future Of Mass Effect
  3. ↑ http://gregzeschuk.me/on-greg/
  4. ↑ a b c Bioware Interview ( English ) In: RPGVault . News Corp . April 26, 1998. Archived from the original on July 26, 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ↑ http://pc.ign.com/articles/106/1062743p1.html
  7. ↑ Roland Austinat (October 14, 2004): Again in the Canadian Top 100 list , Gamestar , IDG . Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  8. ^ Greg Zeschuk: From Greg Zeschuk . BioWare. September 18, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  9. ^ BioWare: Ray Muzyka & Greg Zeschuk Retire . BioWare. September 18, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
  10. ↑ PastPixels: Art of Video Games - Advisory Group ( Memento of May 14, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (English), last accessed on May 30, 2012.
  11. ↑ Canada's Top 40 under 40 2001 ( Memento from September 5, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (pdf; 52 kB)
  12. ↑ http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Edmonton+game+developer+named+Entrepreneur+of+the+Year.-a078634563
  13. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from December 8, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
  14. ^ Eddie Makuch: BioWare founders getting Lifetime Achievement Award ( English ) In: Gamespot . CBS Interactive . February 11, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
personal data
SURNAME Zeschuk, Greg
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zeschuk, Gregory P.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian computer game developer
DATE OF BIRTH 1969
PLACE OF BIRTH Edmonton , Alberta, Canada