Yes, it is possible that in the future, as gaming becomes more mainstream and its audience expands, the appeal of video games will shift from combat thrills to storytelling - a sign that the industry is maturing. This is the opinion of BioWare's Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka in an interview with GamesIndustry.

Some changes are also in store for RPG heavyweight BioWare and MMO studio Mythic Entertainment. Electronic Arts has announced that the two studios will be restructured into a single group that will handle RPG and MMO games development.

Or in short, BioWare will be tracing the footsteps of Stardock Systems in their approach to piracy. What took them so long to figure this one out, you ask? Few can really explain, but we doubt we'll be seeing BioWare dumping copy protection in the near future. As long as Electronic Arts has something to say about anti-piracy measures, those Mass Effect woes aren't going away. More on BioWare's grand plan at the full story.

So it would appear that some third-party developers are getting what Stardock meant - the fate of PC gaming is on the hands of the developers. BioWare, a reputable PC developer of the past, has also expanded to the console market like many others, but they aren't about to abandon the gaming platform. Speaking to MTV, CEOs Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk said that the role-play experts might keep developing PC exclusives in the long run. And there's a little hope for Apple iPhone games from them as well. More on that when you click "read more".

Ever wondered how today's game developers manage to squeeze in an engrossing story in games, even when the games themselves aren't RPGs? Then head on over to the full article as we get you acquainted with three of today's top executives in this industry and how they puled off that particular hat-trick. Read on at the full article.

On the second part of a very long interview, CVG continues to ask BioWare's CEO Ray Muzyka and president Greg Zeschuk of their opinion of the current direction of the game industry and what games they're looking forward to this year.

Muzyka shared his excitement about the Gaming for Windows initiative brought about by Microsoft in preparation for Windows Vista (although it was initially geared for photographers). He thinks that through this initiative, gamers will be able to recognize the PC as a gaming platform in its own right.

Zeschuk shares similar beliefs, although he is much more excited about Vista's streamlined support for better games and DirectX 10. The added support will be welcomed in making the PC gaming experience much easier, while giving developers even easier ways for developing their games.

Their expectations for the way the PC game industry has been evolving and developing is no less different from what is happening now. They are looking forward to a number of games, including their own Mass Effect, soon to be released for the Xbox 360. Titles include Spore, Halo 3, Guitar Hero 2, Dragon Quest 9, Crysis, Supreme Commander, GTA 4 and a score of other games.