BioWare Confirms Undisclosed Number of Layoffs as Star Wars: The Old Republic Moves to New Developer

ign.com:

BioWare has confirmed layoffs within the Star Wars: The Old Republic development team as the game prepares to transition to a new developer.

Earlier this month, IGN revealed EA was nearing an agreement to move the ongoing development and operation of the long-running MMORPG from BioWare to third-party studio Broadsword Online Games.

The agreement sees SWTOR handed over to current Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot developer Broadsword Online, which is run by former Mythic Entertainment co-founder and BioWare VP Rob Denton, who previously worked on SWTOR in its early days.

At the time, IGN reported 70-80 people were part of the core development team of The Old Republic, more than half of whom were expected to move to Broadsword.

In a new blog post, BioWare general manager Gary McKay confirmed an undisclosed number of layoffs are set to hit those who do not transition from the studio to Broadsword.

“No big change comes without challenges,” McKay said. “Among them is the fact that most of the current team will be invited to accompany the game on its move to Broadsword, though unfortunately not every role will make the move. This is the hardest part of this transition, and these decisions were not made lightly. We are of course doing everything we can to support the affected team members, who have an opportunity to find new roles within EA.

“In addition, we’re aware that the team members who are being asked to move to a new studio will also be adapting to change, and we will be working with Broadsword to make the transition as comfortable as possible.

“In the long run, though, we are confident that this is the best decision for the game and its community. We at BioWare will miss being a part of SWTOR’s story going forward. But