Trent Oster

From Game Designer to Player Advocate: Trent Oster of Beamdog and BioWare

Today’s guest is Trent Oster, CEO of Beamdog. Trent started in the game industry in the early 90s and is one of the six original founders of BioWare. You may recognize some of BioWare’s best-loved franchises: Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate, and Neverwinter Nights. Trent left BioWare in 2009 to co-found digital distribution portal and studio Beamdog with Cameron Tofer.

In this episode, you’ll hear about the origins of iconic D&D classics Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights, challenges balancing team dynamics including family, the development of Beamdog’s tentpole property MythForce, and the rollercoaster days before game launch (and maybe why it’s not the best idea to personally guarantee a $1M loan).

Discussion points#

• Trent’s path leading to computer science and games in the 90s
• BioWare and the early game design days
• Beamdog and the White Ave neighborhood
• Founder drama and their relationships today
• Advice on founders sharing responsibility
• Finding the best use of your time: does it have an impact, and when?
• Becoming a game-player advocate
• Balancing crunch and team building as the industry has shifted
• RPGs: the interesting intersection of story and game playing
• Favorite early games
• Inspiration for starting Beamdog
• The rollercoaster: financial stress, bootstrapping, and triumph
• MythForce: visual standout vs. longstanding devotion
• The Electronic Arts acquisition
• Advice for founders: can you sustain your commitment 24/7?