BioWare Lays off 50 People to Restructure into 'Agile' Team Focused on Core Single-Player Franchises
BioWare general manager Gary McKay has announced they are “reorganizing” their team and laying off about 50 people. McKay makes it clear that the teams continue working on core franchises, Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
BioWare has gone through a series of staffing changes, with some long-time veterans departing the studio to start their own new projects or head up other franchises. BioWare and EA recently spun off development of Star Wars: The Old Republic to let BioWare move away from MMOs and focus all of its teams on the single-player franchises fans love them for most.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf was announced several years back, and is in advanced development afterreported restarts and direction changes. BioWare’s Michael Gamble remains working in pre-production on the next Mass Effect title.
Those affected by the layoffs will get internal consideration at EA, but with a 50-person cut at an approximately 250-person studio, that is not a small change. However, McKay is positioning things in an optimistic way.
“In order to meet the needs of our upcoming projects, continue to hold ourselves to the highest standard of quality, and ensure BioWare can continue to thrive in an industry that’s rapidly evolving, we must shift towards a more agile and more focused studio. It will allow our developers to iterate quickly, unlock more creativity, and form a clear vision of what we’re building before development ramps up,” he says.
Sometimes dev teams fluctuate in number, though this does fit as more of an overhaul. Hence the attempted reassurance and optimism.
“This vision balances the current needs of the studio—namely, ensuring Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is an outstanding game—with its future, including the success ofthe next Mass
Read more on mmorpg.com
