EA’s BioWare will lay off 50 and cut ties with unionized Keywords playtesting group
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Electronic Arts said that its BioWare studio based in Edmonton, Canada, is laying off 50 people on the team even as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in the late stages of development.
The layoffs will likely be a blow to morale at the studio and make the development environment more difficult. Gary McKay, general manager of the developer, told employees that EA is trying to make BioWare into a more agile and more focused studio in a statement today. EA has an estimated 12,000 to 13,000 employees, and BioWare had perhaps 250 people.
“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,” McKay said. “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 added, “To achieve this, we find ourselves in a position where change is not only necessary, but unavoidable. As difficult as this is to say, rethinking our approach to development inevitably means reorganizing our team to match the studio’s changing needs. As part of this transition, we are eliminating approximately 50 roles at BioWare. That is deeply painful and humbling to write. We are doing everything we can to ensure the process is handled with empathy, respect, and clear communication.”
In addition, the moves come with a couple of related or
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