Ambitious developer BioWare has confirmed that it has established a new development studio which has already begun work on the company's first title for the massively multiplayer online market.

With the intention to 'develop a game that combines the best of BioWare's great past games with a compelling persistent online experience', the team will be lead by ex Sony Online Entertainment VP of product development Richard Vogul, who was also responsible for launching Ultima Online for Origin, and Gordon Walton, also ex-SOE and executive producer for Electronic Arts.

"BioWare is committed to a seamless collaboration between our two studios to ensure the same high standards of quality and creativity our dedicated teams have always delivered," commented joint CEO of BioWare Ray Muzyka. "With our extensive heritage in the role-playing genre, BioWare Austin is extremely well positioned to innovate in the massively multiplayer online space for BioWare's valued community of fans."

Also joining the new Austin team is lead designer James Ohlen, whose previous work includes Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights and the Baldur's Gate series.

BioWare, which is responsible for a host of best-selling games including Star Wars: Knights of the OId Republic, Jade Empire, Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate, recently merged with Pandemic Studios in a $300 million deal put together by high-profile private equity firm Elevation Partners.