BioWare’s “agile, focused” approach sees jobs cut and others redeployed across “EA teams”

Mass Effect team “doesn’t require support from the full studio”

Image credit: BioWare

BioWare is “reimagining” how it works, saying that the team behind the next Mass Effect game “do[es]n’t require support from the full studio.”

Consequently – and without clarifying the number of people impacted by the changes – general manager Gary McKay said the studio had “worked diligently” to redeploy BioWare staff “with other teams at EA.”

Reporting at IGN, however, also suggests a “smaller number” of Dragon Age team members have been laid off.

“Now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been released, a core team at BioWare is developing the next Mass Effect game under the leadership of veterans from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others,” McKay explained in a statement.

“In keeping with our fierce commitment to innovating during the development and delivery of Mass Effect, we have challenged ourselves to think deeply about delivering the best experience to our fans. We are taking this opportunity between full development cycles to reimagine how we work at BioWare.

“Given this stage of development, we don’t require support from the full studio. We have incredible talent here at BioWare, and so we have worked diligently over the past few months to match many of our colleagues with other teams at EA that had open roles that were a strong fit.

“Today’s news will see BioWare become a more agile, focused studio that produces unforgettable RPGs,” McKay’s statement concluded. “We appreciate your support as we build a new future for BioWare.”

These cuts are the latest in a number of cuts across BioWare to match “the studio’s changing needs.”

Dragon Age: The Veilguard game director Corinne Busche recently confirmed her departure from BioWare, revealing that it was a “voluntary” decision after receiving an offer outside of the developer.

“My departure was voluntary, as I have been presented with an opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Busche said at the time. “I don’t want to say much more right now, but you can count on it being in the CRPG space and upholding the tradition of great characters.”