It was more of a question of when than if, and today BioWare announced that it is planning its own massively multiplayer online RPG, and it is opening a studio in Austin, TX to work on the game. According to the press release, the MMORPG will combine "the best of BioWare's great past games with a compelling persistent online experience."

From the PR announcing the studio:

Joining the Austin team as lead designer is James Ohlen, BioWare's Creative Director, whose previous credits include lead or co-lead design roles on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate and Baldur's Gate II.

Also leading the BWA team are MMO veterans Richard Vogel and Gordon Walton. Richard Vogel brings 15 years of experience to BioWare Austin, previously serving as VP of Product Development for Sony Online Entertainment's Austin studio, as well as launching Ultima Online as a senior producer at Origin. Gordon Walton recently served as VP, studio manager and executive producer at Sony Online Entertainment as well as VP and Executive Producer at Electronic Arts.