Drew Karpyshyn Creative Works

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News

This section is where I’ll share all the latest significant happenings in my life with my adoring public and rabid fans. You can find older news stories (2006, 2007 and 2008) in my news ARCHIVE

You can also check out my blog at StarWars.com for more news.

SW BLOG

 

Next site update: July 15

 

 

June 30

Okay, I’m back with another update. In the last couple weeks things have improved greatly in my world. Not that they were that terrible to begin with, of course. But apart from a lingering cough/cold things are looking up for me.

 

First, my golf game is coming around. I’m down to a 10 handicap and I can see the lower scores just over the horizon. There’s also a new set of Magic the Gathering cards coming out in July, and the Spurs made some key off-season moves that should vault them right back into serious title contention. Things were going so well, I even darted off to LA for Magic tournament last weekend. I didn’t win, but I started 4-1 before finishing 4-3-1. Not a stellar record, but better than my under .500 performance at the last big event.

 

In my professional life things are in cruise control right now. The final rewrites to Dynasty of Evil have been accepted, and I’m finishing up my work on Mass Effect 2 before transitioning over to the Star Wars: Old Republic team.

 

And I finally got a PO Box for anyone who wants to send me stuff. That’s right: if you want me to sign a book, poster, picture or even if you just want to send me fabulous cash and prizes you now have an address. I’m adding into my Contact page, but I’ll also post it right here.

 

PO Box 326

Cedar Park, TX

78630

USA

 

Remember: if you’re going to send me something to sign you HAVE to include enough return postage for me to send it back. I’m not going to pay to return it to you. Also, send me a little letter with your name and other information so I know who it’s from.

 

Okay, that’s about all for now. Later.

 

Drew

 

June 14

Time for another update. Yes, that’s right – another fascinating glimpse into the life of Drew! So… the evil Lakers won the NBA title. I stumbled my way to a 4-5 record at the biggest Magic the Gathering tournament in Texas history. My golf handicap has jumped from an 8 to a 12. I still don’t have my PO Box for people who want to e-mail me stuff. And I’m still about a week behind on my answering e-mails.

 

But it’s not all bad. Even though I suck, I’m still golfing 3-5 times per week. The weather in Austin is hot and sunny. My parents were here last week and we had a great time. And I’ve started running again as I prepare for the Vegas half-marathon in December.

 

Oh, yeah. And BioWare completely kicked ass at the E3 expo in LA. Check out the BioWare blog for a taste of the reaction to ME2. (Not to brag, but phrases like “slammed my jaw to the floor” were tossed about.) We won all sorts of awards and nominations, including best RPG and Best in Show. Check out the new Mass Effect website, with all sorts of cool videos, pics and downloads, and check out our cool cover on OXM. (In case you didn’t click the link they called us “The biggest story of the year”. Seriously. I guess we rock or something.) 

 

But wait a minute, I hear you thinking. (Yes, I can read your thoughts. You are SICK, TWISTED and PERVERTED! Oh, no… that’s just me. Never mind.) Aren’t you in Austin now, Drew? What about the new Star Wars MMO? Didn’t they show stuff at E3, too? Hell, yes! And SWTOR (Star Wars, The Old Republic in case you didn’t figure it out) also blew people away. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and go here and check out the Deceived trailer. It’s seven flavors of awesome.

 

Now, I realize some of you are actually fans of my novels, so you’re probably wondering what I’m working on now that I’ve finished with Dynasty of Evil. Well, to be honest I’m taking it easy for a few weeks. But after that I’m going to try and get my own fantasy novel ready to submit to publishers. The book is the first in a trilogy.

 

Yeah, I know… another fantasy trilogy. But the thing about my book is that it really will be a trilogy. It won’t become an ever expanding series that goes on forever with nothing ever happening just to sell more books. Unless sales are REALLY good, and the publishers drive the money truck up to my house. Remember – selling out is only a bad thing if you don’t get top dollar. The book is tentatively titled Children of Fire, and if all goes well I’m hoping to get a publisher deal before the end of the year.

 

However, if something else comes up – like another SW novel, or a third ME book – then I might have to put it on hold yet again. As any freelancer will tell you, it’s hard to turn down work that pays you up front for speculative projects.

 

Okay, long update with not much actually said. Guess I’ll sign off now and get back to answering all your e-mails.

 

Drew

 

May 31

Okay, I’m a day late with the update. And, I still don’t have the PO Box address for people to send stuff to me. But in all fairness, things are still nuts around here. BioWare is getting ready for E3 with some kick ass demos of games we’re working on. And I just finished the final (I hope) rewrites to Dynasty of Evil.

 

But I promised you some cool update stuff, so here we go! Here’s a Mass Effect preview of the E3 demo. (Because of the move to Austin I’m not in the video, but you’ll see some of the other key team members.) And, here’s an exclusive ME trailer that just came out on Friday.

 

We also just announced there is an iPhone Mass Effect game! Jacob will be a major character in ME2, so this can give you an introduction of who you might run into in ME2.

 

Here’s the infamous  Dragon Age Violence Trailer – warning, may contain spoilers and, uh, violence. Dragon Age also has been pushing out updates with character and environment art, all listed on the news section of their website.

 

And, now that I’m down in Austin I’m finally seeing all sorts of cool stuff for Star Wars: The Old Republic. There’s all sorts of cool updates on the official site, including character class previews and the web comic, Threat of Peace.

 

Now, I’ve given you these updates and previews. Next week E3 2009 actually hits, and even though I’m not going there’ll be lots of cool updates and videos coming out of the show.

 

As for my personal life, things are going great here in Austin. The golf game is finally coming around and my parents are coming to visit this week. Now, if Orlando can somehow stop the evil Lakers from winning the NBA title all will be good.

 

Drew

 

May 13

Holy sweet mother of Zeus!!! I have never been so damn busy in my life. Here’s the deal – I’m still trying to get crap done for the move (getting a PO Box set up, getting my driver’s license, getting all my accounts and financial stuff transferred over to the US). I’m doing some finishing touches on Destiny of Evil. I’m hammering away on dialog for Mass Effect 2.

 

I’m so damn busy I barely have time for golf. And that hasn’t left me much time for other things. Like watching the NBA playoffs. With the Spurs gone, I’m finding it hard to make time. I watch maybe 3 quarters per week. And answering my e-mail – I’m still behind, though I am finally replying faster than new e-mails come in.

 

So, here’s the deal. No more updates until the end of May. But, and I promise you this, it will be a major update. Lots of cool and useful information – about me, about my work, about various projects that may or may not have been announced.

 

Until then, however, you’ve got this craptastic non-update. Sorry, but that’s the way things roll. Deal with it.

 

And come back on May 30th for the super-mega-awesome update. (Okay, maybe I’m over selling it.)

 

Drew

 

April 29

Wow – talk about a crazy couple of weeks! We’re finally moved into our house here in Austin, but there are a million tiny, unexpected headaches involved with moving that keep cropping up. It’s going to be another month before we get on top of everything, so this update is going to be pretty short.

 

I’m WAAAAAY behind on my e-mails, but please be patient – I’ll try to catch up this weekend. Other than that, not much else to say, except that I’m bummed about my Spurs being knocked out in the first round. (I never even got the chance to go see them play….) But, I’m more than happy to jump on the Dallas bandwagon: even though they knocked out San Antonio, I’ve always liked the Mavs (particularly Dirk “DigglerNowitizki). And I’d rather see them win it all than the Lakers.

 

Okay, I’ll be back in two weeks with another update. At that time I’ll be updating the website with my new biographical info (since I don’t live just outside of Edmonton anymore), and I’ll be posting an address people can use if they ever want to send anything to me to get signed, etc. And, there’s a small chance I’ll have some rather interesting news to report, too.

 

Until then “adios” from the Texas Hill Country.

 

Drew

 

April 8

Dynasty of Evil is signed, sealed and delivered! That’s right – the manuscript is sitting on my editor’s desk right now. I know that might not mean much to those of you who still have to wait until December to read it, but it’s a huge weight off of my mind. As much as I enjoy writing, it’s always a relief when I finish a project.

 

So, you might be wondering what’s next for me. The book is done, but the move from Edmonton to Austin is still in progress. That’s why there won’t be an update for the next 3 weeks. I will try to keep on top of my e-mail, but there might be a delay in getting a reply while my computer is in transit.

 

Once the move is done, I’m going to get in some serious golf and Magic the Gathering. There’s a big tournament – Magic, not golf - in Austin this October, so I want to get my game back in tournament form. Plus, I’m going to watch the Masters this weekend… without a doubt my favorite golf tournament of the year.

 

Not to mention the NBA playoffs are about to start… though my Spurs are limping into the post-season. No Manu, Duncan’s hobbled by bad knees and the shooters can’t seem to throw it into the ocean right now. Could be an early exit for the Spurs, but I’m not giving up hope yet. In the playoffs anything can happen, and I’m crossing my fingers for Popovich to work his magic one more time… especially because I might actually get to go down and see a game or two this year.

 

So sit tight, chillax for the next three weeks and when I come back I’ll let everyone know how the move went. And I might even have some more BIG news to share with you. But I don’t want to leave you with nothing to click on this update, so I’ll point you to the website of Brian Kindregan.

 

Brian’s a good friend of mine who also happens to be one of the writers on Mass Effect 2. He spent something like 13 years working in Hollywood as a story board artist, director, etc. and he served a bunch of years in the army where he learned how to kill a man with his thumbs. Plus, his website actually looks professional, as opposed to the train wreck I’ve unleashed on the interweb here.

 

Okay, that’s all for now. Next update from the sunny hills of Austin!

 

Drew

 

March 25

Well, not much new for me to share with you this update. The last couple weeks have been incredibly busy (and stressful) as we get ready for the move. When I’m not dealing with banks, lawyers or real estate title companies, I’m still pounding away at Dynasty of Evil… or scraping snow off my car.

 

That’s right: we got a fresh dump of snow a couple days ago. It’s officially spring, it’s still below freezing and we’re still getting snow. Whenever someone says I’m going to miss the Alberta winters when I move to Texas I just laugh and laugh.

 

If that wasn’t bad enough, I’m battling a case of peroneal tendonitis from running too far too soon as I begin training for my half-marathon. It’s not particularly bad, but it is annoying as hell, because it makes it much tougher to train. I have to look for low impact alternatives to running… but I actually enjoy running. (Weird, I know; I never though I’d like it either.) So, for the next couple weeks, I’m back on cross-trainers at the gym instead of treadmills and tracks. Hopefully by the time we move to Austin I’ll be ready to go again. (And down there I won’t have to worry about running in the snow.) I guess recurring sports injuries are life’s way of telling you you’re getting older.

 

Speaking of getting older, my Spurs are a little shaky right now. Manu is still out, Timmy is hurting and they’re in a bit of a free fall in the standings. But I’d rather have them struggle now than in the playoffs, and I still think they have time to right the ship.

 

And it’s not all bad news. I expect to finish Dynasty of Evil this weekend and send it off to my editors, and the Masters is coming up. Plus, a month from now I’ll be out on a golf course somewhere in Texas, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.

 

But I still will.

 

Drew

 

 

March 10

Okay, I just got back from a short trip to Austin… had to find a new place to live since we’re moving there in a few weeks. I have to say, trying to arrange a mortgage across international borders is a major pain in the ass.

 

But I’m back now, and I’m busy trying to catch up on all my e-mails. So if you sent me something but haven’t heard back, please be patient. I should get to them all by the end of the week.

 

Finally, one more bit of actual news – they’ve released a preview cover for Dynasty of Evil, along with a short plot synopsis. (Don’t worry, it doesn’t really give anything away.

 

This isn’t necessarily the final cover, but I like the direction they’re going. Not that I get a lot of say in the matter… the publishers for the SW novels tend to pick the artists. Fortunately they went with John Jude Palencar, the same guy who did the first Bane novel’s cover.

 

Okay, that’s it for this update. See you in two weeks.

 

Drew

 

February 24

So… I promised a major update this week. Now, some of you have already figured it out, but for those of you who haven’t allow me to present… (drum roll, please)…. the very first

 

Mass Effect 2 Trailer!

 

Okay, from this point on I’m assuming you’ve seen the trailer, so if you don’t want any spoilers go click on the link before you continue!

Now, I know what you’re all thinking… WTF!!! SHEPARD CAN’T BE DEAD!!!

 

All I can say to that is… well, I can’t say anything, really. I will remind you to KEEP YOUR SAVE GAMES FROM ME#1. I will also say that I’m loving reading the forums right now and seeing people argue about whether Shepard is really dead, and coming up with theories to explain why he is or isn’t. Of course, we here at BioWare know the truth, so it’s all very amusing to us.

 

Now, for the love of God, Buddha, Thor or whatever Greater Power you worship, please don’t e-mail me asking for inside info about Mass Effect 2! You WILL NOT GET ANY!! In fact, let’s just get this out of the way right now:

Q: Is Mass Effect 2 finished?

A: No.

Q: When will it be finished?

A: I can’t tell you.

Q: Are you going to show it at GDC?

A: I can’t tell you.

Q: What about E3?

A: I can’t tell you.

Q: C’mon, Shepard isn’t really dead, is he?

A: I can’t tell you.

(see the pattern yet?)

 

So, there it is… probably the most interesting link I’ve had on this page in a while. Wait…what was that? You already saw the ME2 trailer? I just wasted your time? Okay, FINE! I’ll give you something else.

 

Let’s start with this: Mass Effect was recently nominated for a BAFTA award for Story and Character – click the link to see all the nominees. As to why the Brits are just nominating us now, it’s complicated. Let’s just say that the UK is a little befuddled with the timing of the last couple years’ worth of games.

 

What, that’s still not enough for you? Okay, one more bombshell… in 6 weeks I am MOVING from Canada down to the U.S. of A. That’s right – goodbye Edmonton, hello Austin, Texas.

 

Why am I moving to Austin? Hmmm, let me think. Year round golf. Driving distance to the Spurs home games. Houses that cost half of what they do here in Edmonton. Taxes about half of what I pay in Canada. $49 flights to Vegas. The question isn’t why am I moving; the question is what took me so long?

 

But fear not, because I’m still going to be working for BioWare. You see, BioWare has a (fairly) new studio down in Austin working on a little game called Star Wars: The Old Republic. So, does this mean I’m done with the Mass Effect series? No! I’m still working on Mass Effect 2, and I’ll continue to be part of the writing team even while I’m down in Austin.

 

However, at some point, I’ll be transitioning over to the SW:TOR writing team. So, let’s do this again:

Q: When will SW:TOR be finished?

A: I can’t tell you.

Q: Are you going to show it at GDC?

A: I can’t tell you.

Q: What about E3?

A: I can’t tell you.

(sound familiar?)

 

Okay, one final note before I go – I’m also updating my Star Wars blog. And I’m slipping a few juicy spoilers for the next Bane novel into the post. That’s right: if you want to get the spoilers you have to go read the latest SW blog entry. Yes, I am a bastard. Deal with it.

 

Drew

 

February 17

Okay, big news this update – we’ve locked down the title for the third Bane novel. And the winner is (drum roll please)… Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil. But even though we have the title, it’s still not coming out until December, so everybody keep their pants on. (Or not… whatever makes you happy.)

 

If you don’t like the title you can send e-mails to TellSomebody@WhoCares.net.

(Okay, that’s a joke, people. Don’t actually try and click on the link.)

 

I was hoping to have some more big news for you, too… but we’re still a few days away from me being able to talk about it. So, I’m going to do another update next week. (See how hard I work for my fans?) I can’t say much about it, but trust me: you don’t want to miss this.

 

In other news, my interview with Kim Alexander at Fiction Nation is airing this week. Check out the link for times and details, as well as the link to Kim’s review of Mass Effect: Ascension.

 

Speaking of reviews, Dave-Brendon de Burgh, who I did an interview with a while back, has just recently posted a review of Rule of Two on his website.

 

Okay, that’s all for now. Back next week with some MAJOR news. (Yes, it’s so big it’s worth shouting for.)

 

Drew

 

February 3

Wow – these weekly updates are killing me! Notice – I’m going back to the bi-weekly schedule again… that’s all I can handle. In fact, the only reason I did this update was to let people know when my interview with Kim Alexander at Fiction Nation is airing. You can check it out on Thursday, February 19 at 3pm Eastern on Sirius XM Book Radio (XM163). If you don’t get a chance to hear the interview, they’ll be posting a transcript a week or two later – I’ll provide a link when it goes up.

 

Apart from that, what else can I tell you? I’m still working on Darth Bane 3… and we should have a title for you next update. (Something to look forward to, I guess.) If you get PC Gamer magazine there’s a story in the next issues (due February 11) that mentions me… I’ll post more details next update, after the issue is out.

 

I’m also trying to sort through my backlog of e-mails. I’ve gotten a little behind on answering so please be patient and you should hear back from me soon. I usually try to answer within one week, but I’m pretty busy right now so it’s closer to 2 weeks for most e-mails. Sorry about that.

 

I’m also sorry about my crappy Super Bowl picks. I nailed the Steelers’ final score, but I whiffed big time on everything else. I missed the cover and the over/under… but at least the 4th quarter was exciting to watch. (I don’t know if it was exciting enough to make up for all my bets going up in smoke, but at least it wasn’t boring.)

 

Okay, that’s it until next time. Remember – Feb 17 for the next update. By then I hope to have the new Darth Bane title, plus a couple links to some other relevant breaking news. (I know… you’re tingling with excitement.)

 

Drew

 

January 27

A bit of a mini-update this week just to let people know about my upcoming interview with Sirrius XM Book Radio. I still don’t have the exact airdate, but it will probably be mid-February. I should know the air date when I do the interview on Thursday, so I’ll put it in my update next week. (By the way, don’t get used to these weekly updates. I’m way too lazy to keep this up.)

 

And, since I didn’t come through with the info I promised, here’s a couple other bits of news. The February issue of Official Xbox Magazine has named Mass Effect’s Bring Down the Sky as the best Downloadable Content of 2008. Game Focus also named Mass Effect PC as PC Game of the Year for 2008, and chose Bring Down the Sky as a runner-up for best Downloadable Content.

 

What – you already know how awesome Mass Effect is? Okay, how about some Super Bowl tips? Let’s see… I like the Steelers defense to dominate early and force Arizona into turnovers and lots of punts. I see Pittsburgh grinding out a TD, stalling for a couple FGs and scoring one big busted play TD like they always seem to. I also see the defense setting up or scoring an easy TD with a turnover. I see the cards getting 1 TD just because Larry Fitzgerald is a beast, and a couple of FGs. Let’s go with a final score of 27-13, as the Cards incredible run comes to a non-fairy tale ending. If I had to pick a player from each team to score the first TD, I’d go with Fitzgerald from the Cards (yeah, big surprise) and Mewelde Moore as a dark horse from the Steelers. (If you happen to be a gambler and you use my advice to make some cash, you can mail me a cut if you feel like sharing. If you lose money… well, serves you right for listening to me.)

 

Also, check out my FAQ Page to see an updated picture of yours truly. This was taken by someone at work; it’s an expression I often seem to find plastered on my mug as I make my way through life. I call it the “You must be fucking kidding me!” expression. (Yes, I swore. I’m a terrible human being. I’m corrupting your children. The f-bomb is the greatest threat to life as we know it. Seriously… you must be fucking kidding me!)

 

Okay, more info next update.

 

Drew

 

January 20

Okay, this is a pretty short update. But, as you can see up above, I’ve got another update coming in one week. Why is that, you ask? Well, I’m doing an interview with Kim Alexander from Sirrius XM Book Radio next week. The interview is going to focus on my Mass Effect work, both in novel and in audio book form. You can check out some info on Kim’s Show at Fiction Nation’s website.

 

The interview isn’t going to be live – it’s going to be recorded and played back later. The problem is, I don’t know when. Not yet. But I should know by next week (before I do the interview). So if I do an update next week then I can tell you (my loyal fans) when the show is airing!

 

Apart from that, I’m a little bummed that the Chargers finally went down to the Steelers. (Now I owe my friend a free meal.) Honestly, though, they went farther than I expected, so maybe they can build on this next year. Rivers is starting to make me think I was wrong about trading away Brees, and if Merriman and LT come back healthy (and if Sproles sticks around), the Chargers could be a team worth watching next year.

 

Of course, my disappointment over the Chargers is offset by the Spurs and their recent exciting win over the Lakers. I know it’s still regular season, but LA is the team to beat in the West… and San Antonio just beat ’em! (Now we’ll see if they can do it again on Sunday.)

 

I’ll also have a small Bane update next week, and maybe some other interesting news… along with my Super Bowl pick. (If you want to make money, you should probably just bet AGAINST whoever I pick. It’s been that kind of year.)

 

Drew

 

 

January 6

Welcome to a New Year, full of hope and promise. Not that 2008 was that bad for me. Actually, it was pretty damn good. But I have a feeling 2009 is going to be even better! (Yeah, my life is awesome. But come on – I deserve it!)

 

For one thing, my Chargers are still alive in the NFL playoffs. Honestly, I never thought they’d get this far. I don’t know if they can handle that tough Steeler defense, but as they proved last week – on any given Sunday, any team can win. (Except the Detroit Lions.) And, if they do win, a friend of mine who supports the Steelers is going to owe me a free dinner!

 

Another thing I love about 2009 is the fact that it’s an odd numbered year. And anyone who watches the NBA knows what that means – look out for the Spurs come playoffs! Actually, after that slow, injury-plagued start Duncan, Parker, Ginobli and friends are right where I like to see them: one of the elite teams in the league, but still a bit of a dark horse when compared to the Lakers, Celtics and Cavs. They just quietly keep winning games. Nothing flashy, but it’s damn effective. That pretty much sums up the Spurs ever since Duncan arrived – methodically brilliant.

 

As for me, I’m back at work now. BioWare traditionally gives the employees 2 weeks of holiday at Christmas, so we get a bit spoiled. But we’re back at that digital grindstone, churning out the next great gaming experience. And I’m still plowing away on the third Bane novel. Things are going well so far. I’ve even started kicking around a few titles… but I’m not going to spill the beans on them yet.

 

Finally, to end this update I’m going to share my two New Year’s resolutions with everyone.

1 – This is the year I will break par on a golf course.

2 – I’m going to run the Las Vegas half-marathon in December, and I’m going to finish it in under 2 hours.

 

I figure if I publicly announce my resolutions, the fear of shame and ridicule if I fail will inspire me to keep working at them. Believe me, I need all the help I can get – especially after my first training session on the treadmill. So, in addition to my normal updates about writing, video games, sports and other stuff, you’re also going to hear about my on-going progress as I work towards the big race in December. (And once golf season starts up again, I’ll probably post info about that as well.)

 

Okay, that’s all. Hope everyone had a great holiday season – back in a couple weeks.

 

Drew