Login
Login

Drew Karpyshyn

{{short description|Canadian novelist and video game designer}}

{{Infobox writer

| name = Drew Karpyshyn

| image = Drew Karpyshyn - Lucca Comics & Games 2014.JPG

| imagesize = 200px

| alt =

| caption = Drew Karpyshyn at Lucca Comics & Games, 2014

| pseudonym =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1971|7|28}}

| birth_place = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Novelist, game designer

| education =

| alma_mater =

| language = English

| period =

| genre = Fantasy, science fiction

| subject =

| movement =

| notableworks =

| spouse = Jennifer Karpyshyn

| partner =

| children =

| awards =

| website = {{URL|drewkarpyshyn.com}}

| portaldisp =

}}

Drew Karpyshyn (born July 28, 1971) is a Canadian video game scenario writer, scriptwriter and novelist of Ukrainian descent.{{Cite web |date=2016-05-31 |title=Star Wars: Imperial City Online > Interview with Drew Karpyshyn |url=http://www.starwars.pl/wywiad_karpyshyn_en.php |access-date=2024-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531075510/http://www.starwars.pl/wywiad_karpyshyn_en.php |archive-date=2016-05-31 }}{{Cite web |date=2015-10-02 |title=FAQ {{!}} Drew Karpyshyn |url=http://drewkarpyshyn.com/c/?page_id=63 |access-date=2024-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002143521/http://drewkarpyshyn.com/c/?page_id=63 |archive-date=2015-10-02 }} He served as a senior writer on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for BioWare and lead writer for the first two Mass Effect video games. He left BioWare in 2012 to focus on his Chaos Born novels, and returned to it three years later in 2015. On March 9, 2018, he announced he was leaving BioWare once again to pursue his independent work.

Career

Karpyshyn was at one point employed as a loan officer. Following a car accident, he quit his job and returned to college, gaining a degree in English.{{cite web|url=http://ww2.wizards.com/Books/Wizards/Bios/default.aspx?doc=karpyshyn|title=Drew Karpyshyn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309153913/http://ww2.wizards.com/Books/Wizards/Bios/default.aspx?doc=karpyshyn|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|archive-date=March 9, 2009}} He got his start as a game designer for Wizards of the Coast, and he also has written two novels for Wizards of the Coast, both published in 2001 and both set in the Forgotten Realms setting: Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal and Temple Hill.{{cite journal | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2698500182.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151458/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2698500182.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 2, 2015 | title=Karpyshyn, Drew | journal=Contemporary Authors | date=January 1, 2007 | access-date=October 10, 2012}}

Karpyshyn joined the video game company BioWare in 2000.{{cite news|last=Gelinas|first=Ben |date=September 16, 2008|url=http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/culture/story.html?id=13d99a5e-2a67-4f5c-8cd0-27d5a6b52b89 |title=Spinning a gripping ... game|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140425202805/http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/culture/story.html?id=13d99a5e-2a67-4f5c-8cd0-27d5a6b52b89 |archive-date=April 25, 2014 |newspaper=Edmonton Journal}} He wrote the scenario and much of the dialogue for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,{{cite news | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2634111371.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205100043/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-2634111371.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=February 5, 2017 | title=Pixels, Panels, and Prose Colloquium at University of Texas at Tyle April 14 | publisher=US Fed News Service | date=April 15, 2012 | access-date=October 10, 2012}} for which he would share the award for "Excellence in Writing" at the 2003 Game Developers Choice Awards.{{cite web |title=4th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards |url=https://www.gamechoiceawards.com/archive/gdca_4th.html |publisher=Game Developers Conference |access-date=20 November 2020}} He was later one of the lead writers and planners on Jade Empire, and worked on several games in the Baldur's Gate series. His next major project was the Mass Effect series of games. His third book, Darth Bane: Path of Destruction was published by Del Rey Ballantine Books in 2006.

Mass Effect was named Game of the Year, in addition to receiving four other awards at the 2008 Elan Awards.{{cite news |last1=Zacharias |first1=Yvonne |title=Mass Effect dominates as game of the year: Science fiction video, made by Edmonton company, cleans up at Elan Awards |work=The Vancouver Sun |date=February 18, 2008 |page=D1}}

Karpyshyn moved to Austin, Texas to help with Star Wars: The Old Republic. He left BioWare in February 2012 to focus more on his own projects. He returned to BioWare in 2015 to focus on the post-release development of Star Wars: The Old Republic.{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/mass-effect-lead-writer-drew-karpyshyn-returns-to-bioware/|title=Mass Effect lead writer Drew Karpyshyn returns to BioWare|first=Andy|last=Chalk|date=September 21, 2015|access-date=September 22, 2015|work=PC Gamer}} He later started working on Anthem in 2017.{{cite news |last1=Chalk |first1=Andy |title=Mass Effect 1 and 2 lead writer Drew Karpyshyn is working on Anthem |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/mass-effect-lead-writer-drew-karpyshyn-is-working-on-anthem/ |access-date=20 November 2020 |work=PC Gamer |date=14 June 2017}} In March 2018, he announced that he would once again leave BioWare to work on other things, including more original novels, co-creating a sci-fi graphic novel, and freelance gaming work.{{cite news |last1=Purchese |first1=Robert |title=Writer Drew Karpyshyn leaves BioWare for a second time |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-03-12-writer-drew-karpyshyn-leaves-bioware-for-a-second-time |access-date=20 November 2020 |work=Eurogamer |date=12 March 2018}}

Karphyshyn announced in February 2020 that he had joined Archetype Entertainment, an internal studio of Wizards of the Coast with former BioWare staff James Ohlen and Chad Robertson as studio leads. Archetype had been revealed in January 2020 and that it was working on a new science fiction role-playing game. Karphyshyn said that while his interest in video game development waned as BioWare had changed over the years, "my passion has been rekindled. The feel in the studio reminds me of my early days at BioWare; I can feel the magic in the air."{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-02-12-mass-effect-lead-writer-drew-karpyshyn-joins-ex-bioware-vets-new-wizards-of-the-coast-studio | title = Mass Effect lead writer Drew Karpyshyn joins ex-BioWare vets' new Wizards of the Coast studio | first =Matt | last = Wales | date = February 12, 2020 | access-date = February 12, 2020 |work = Eurogamer}}

Personal life

In March 2000, Karpyshyn appeared on an episode of Jeopardy!, finishing third.{{Cite web|url=http://www.j-archive.com/showgame.php?game_id=1651|title=J! Archive - Show #3577, aired 2000-03-07|website=J! Archive}} He is a fan of the NFL's San Diego Chargers.{{cite web|url=http://drewkarpyshyn.com/c/?page_id=17|title=Bio - Drew Karpyshyn|website=drewkarpyshyn.com|access-date=February 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220232724/http://drewkarpyshyn.com/c/?page_id=17|archive-date=February 20, 2012|url-status=dead}} He believes that in the NFL, Bill Belichick is most likely to follow the ways of the Sith, and Peyton Manning is the most likely to be a Jedi.{{Cite web|url=https://303magazine.com/2012/09/drew_karpyshyn/|title=Taking a Knee with 303: Drew Karpyshyn|website=303magazine.com|date=September 27, 2012}} Though his musical tastes lean more to what he calls "mainstream alternative", such as the Foo Fighters and Green Day, he also enjoys Sage Francis' song "The Best of Times". He prefers to write at night without any music playing.{{Cite web|url=https://fuckitimgoingdeep.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/drewkarpyshyn/|title=A Word with New York Times Best Selling Author and NFL Fan Drew Karpyshyn|website=The Warren Peace NFL Report|date=January 14, 2012}}

Karpyshyn was born on July 28, 1971, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He previously lived in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, with his wife Jennifer. In the spring of 2009, he moved with his family to Austin, Texas.

Works

=Games=

=Novels=

==''Forgotten Realms''==

==''Star Wars''==

==''Mass Effect''==

  • Mass Effect: Revelation (2007) (Prequel to the video game series)
  • Mass Effect: Ascension (2008)
  • Mass Effect: Retribution (2010){{cite web|url=http://masseffect.bioware.com/market/books |title=Mass Effect novelizations|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100723104731/http://masseffect.bioware.com/market/books |publisher=BioWare |archive-date=July 23, 2010}}

==''Chaos Born''==

  • Children of Fire (2013)
  • The Scorched Earth (2014)
  • Chaos Unleashed (2015)

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Portal|Biography}}

  • {{Official website}}
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20021001213355/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=books/bio/karpyshyn Drew Karpyshyn] at Wizards of the Coast
  • {{isfdb name|id=Drew_Karpyshyn|name=Drew Karpyshyn}}
  • Interviews
  • [http://www.tenminuteinterviews.com/drew-karpyshyn/ Drew Karpyshyn on Ten Minute Interviews] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213931/http://tenminuteinterviews.com/drew-karpyshyn/ |date=2016-03-03 }} (January 2015)
  • [http://roqoodepot.com/interviews/drew-karpyshyn-interview/ Drew Karpyshyn Interview with RoqooDepot.com] (September 2008)
  • [http://roqoodepot.com/2012/08/31/roqoo-depot-interview-with-drew-karpyshyn-at-cvi/ Drew Karpyshyn Star Wars Celebration VI Interview with RoqooDepot.com] (August 2012)
  • [http://roqoodepot.com/2012/11/13/inside-annihilation-with-drew-karpyshyn/ Drew Karpyshyn 'Annihilation' Interview with RoqooDepot.com] (November 2012)
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20071006212213/http://game-spectrum.com/content/view/962/134/ Drew Karpyshyn Interview with Game-Spectrum] at the Internet Archive (June 2007)
  • {{cite web |url=http://www.pen-paper.net:80/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=4881 |title=Drew Karpyshyn :: Pen & Paper RPG Database |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050117161422/http://www.pen-paper.net/rpgdb.php?op=showcreator&creatorid=4881 |archive-date=January 17, 2005 |access-date=July 29, 2019 |url-status=live }}

{{Bioware games}}

{{Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic series}}

{{Mass Effect}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karpyshyn, Drew}}

Category:1971 births

Category:21st-century Canadian novelists

Category:BioWare people

Category:Canadian fantasy writers

Category:Canadian male novelists

Category:Canadian science fiction writers

Category:Contestants on American game shows

Category:Dungeons & Dragons video game designers

Category:Living people

Category:Video game writers

Category:Writers from Edmonton