From the BioWare's isometric role-playing roots to its intense space operas and living worlds, chart the legendary game studio's first 25 years in this massive retrospective. BioWare - Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development puts you in the room during key moments in BioWare's history, with never-before-seen art and photos anchored by candid stories from developers past and present. See what it took to make games in those wild early days. Pore over details of secret, cancelled projects. Discover the genesis of beloved characters and games. Presented and designed by Dark Horse Books, this tribute to BioWare's legacy is a must-have for any fan of the best stories you can play.

Expanded with never before seen works of art, this new edition delves deeper than ever into the sci-fi saga that changed video games forever. Contains extensive new material from the DLCs for all three games--including the award-winning "Lair of the Shadow Broker" from Mass Effect 2 and the fan-favorite "Citadel" from Mass Effect 3. Experience the evolution of the aliens, planets, ships, and technology that define this iconic science fiction universe, as the developers who brought BioWare's masterpiece to life take you from the earliest design sketches through to the meticulous final renders. Brimming with concept art and commentary, this expanded edition is the ultimate companion to one of the greatest series in the history of gaming!

The award-winning Mass Effect series captured the renegade hearts and paragon souls of gamers everywhere with it's memorable characters, stunning visuals, and visceral combat! Now, journey to a new galaxy with Dark Horse's The Art of Mass Effect Andromeda- featuring never-before-seen art of the hotly anticipated game's characters, arsenal, locations, vehicles, and more! This deluxe hardcover is an essential addition to any gamer's collection! Exclusive never before seen concept art from the making of Mass Effect Andromeda! The comprehensive companion to the wildly anticipated Mass Effect Andromeda!

Videogame development is usually seen as a male dominated field; even playing videogames is often wrongly viewed as a pastime for men only. But behind the curtain, women have always played myriad important roles in gaming. From programmers to artists, designers to producers, female videogame developers endure not only the pressures of their jobs but also epic levels of harassment and hostility. Jennifer Brandes Hepler’s Women in Game Development: Breaking the Glass Level-Cap gives voice to talented and experienced female game developers from a variety of backgrounds, letting them share the passion that drives them to keep making games. Key Features Experience the unique stories of nearly two dozen female game developers, from old-school veterans to rising stars. Understand the role of women in videogames, from the earliest days of development to the present day. Hear first-hand perspectives from working professionals in fields including coding, design, art, writing, community management, production and journalism. Get tips for how to be a better ally and make your company and teams more inclusive. Learn about the obstacles you face if you’re an aspiring female developer, and how to overcome them. Meet the human face of some of the women who have endured the industry’s worst harassment... and kept on going.

The next generation of fantasy is here! Go behind the scenes of Dragon Age: Inquisition, the most ambitious game ever created by legendary developer BioWare! Featuring hundreds of never-before-seen artworks and captions from the developers themselves, this volume offers revealing insight into the inspiration and creation of every facet of Dragon Age: Inquisition, from the heroes, to the wondrous weapons they wield, the powerful beasts that they battle, and the extraordinary world that they inhabit.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER “The stories in this book make for a fascinating and remarkably complete pantheon of just about every common despair and every joy related to game development.” — Rami Ismail, cofounder of Vlambeer and developer of Nuclear Throne Developing video games—hero's journey or fool's errand? The creative and technical logistics that go into building today's hottest games can be more harrowing and complex than the games themselves, often seeming like an endless maze or a bottomless abyss. In Blood, Sweat, and Pixels, Jason Schreier takes readers on a fascinating odyssey behind the scenes of video game development, where the creator may be a team of 600 overworked underdogs or a solitary geek genius. Exploring the artistic challenges, technical impossibilities, marketplace demands, and Donkey Kong-sized monkey wrenches thrown into the works by corporate, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels reveals how bringing any game to completion is more than Sisyphean—it's nothing short of miraculous. Taking some of the most popular, bestselling recent games, Schreier immerses readers in the hellfire of the development process, whether it's RPG studio Bioware's challenge to beat an impossible schedule and overcome countless technical nightmares to build Dragon Age: Inquisition; indie developer Eric Barone's single-handed efforts to grow country-life RPG Stardew Valley from one man's vision into a multi-million-dollar franchise; or Bungie spinning out from their corporate overlords at Microsoft to create Destiny, a brand new universe that they hoped would become as iconic as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings—even as it nearly ripped their studio apart. Documenting the round-the-clock crunches, buggy-eyed burnout, and last-minute saves, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels is a journey through development hell—and ultimately a tribute to the dedicated diehards and unsung heroes who scale mountains of obstacles in their quests to create the best games imaginable.

Over 300 full-color pages collected into a hardcover volume that explores the secrets and strategies of Square Enix's NieR:Automata! Revisit the characters, combat, and environment that enchanted players with stunning action and profound adventure from video game director Yoko Taro. Discover the intricacies of Submergence City, learn more about the characters and enemies with the Data Library, and master the Androids' arsenal! Also featuring concept art and commentary, this second volume of the NieR:Automata World Guide is a must have item for fans of the game! Dark Horse Books and Square Enix come together again to present this adaptation of the original Japanese volume, officially offered in English for the first time!

With annual gross sales surpassing 100 billion U.S. dollars each of the last two years, the digital games industry may one day challenge theatrical-release movies as the highest-grossing entertainment media in the world. In their examination of the tremendous cultural influence of digital games, Daniel Reardon and David Wright analyze three companies that have shaped the industry: Bethesda, located in Rockville, Maryland, USA; BioWare in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; and CD Projekt Red in Warsaw, Poland. Each company has used social media and technical content in the games to promote players' belief that players control the companies' game narratives. The result has been at times explosive, as empowered players often attempted to co-op the creative processes of games through discussion board forum demands, fund-raising campaigns to persuade companies to change or add game content, and modifications (“modding”) of the games through fan-created downloads. The result has changed the way we understand the interactive nature of digital games and the power of fan culture to shape those games.

For more than twenty years, the artists behind Diablo have conjured new visions of the heavens and the hells, built nightmarish corridors filled with monsters and demons, and unleashed swarms of malevolent creatures upon tens of millions of players worldwide. Featuring never before seen content, The Art of Diablo plunges into the concept, design, and environmental art that has defined the world of Sanctuary and the Eternal Conflict at the core of Blizzard Entertainment's action-packed dungeon-crawling game.

Journey alongside Nathan Drake once again, as Naughty Dog and Dark Horse Books team up to bring you this comprehensive and breathtaking exploration into Uncharted 4: A Thief's End! Numerous never-before-seen designs and concept art accompanied by commentary from the developers give you behind-the-scenes access to the creation of this gaming masterwork. This beautiful oversized hardcover is a must-have for any fan of the Uncharted franchise and high quality video game art. The Art of Unchartend 4 will be released by Dark Horse simultaneoulsy with the new game, Uncharted 4.