BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk retire

BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are retiring, the developer announced today. The pair of doctors outlined their future plans outside the games industry and gave thanks on respective blog posts, and general manager of BioWare Edmonton and Montreal Aaryn Flynn detailed the Electronic Arts label’s future plans on his own.

Muzyka said he made the decision to retire from the industry in April 2012, and he plans to begin investing in entrepreneurs who show potential for positive social impact. Zeschuk said he will pursue his interest in craft beers mainly in an online interview show called The Beer Diaries, though he said if it does not work out he may eventually come back to games.

Zeschuk briefly referenced the controversy BioWare has recently received from players. “Sure we’ve had our disagreements with the fans (and them with us), but frankly I understand how that’s driven by passion and love of the games,” he said. “It’s exhilarating to consider how many lives we’ve touched with the entertainment we’ve created over the last 20 years.”

Flynn said the doctors, who founded BioWare in 1995, attended medical school together before pursuing a mutual passion in games, and their achievements were formally recognized with their induction into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame last year.

Flynn said BioWare will attempt to live up to the legacy of the doctors, with yesterday’s announcement of Dragon Age 3: Inquisition, plans for another full Mass Effect game, and a game set in a new fictional universe.