BioWareis laying off around 50 employees. This happens amidthe development ofDragon Age: Dreadwolfand a newMass Effectgame.
BioWare has been responsible for creating some ofthe best RPGs ever made. The company has created many popular franchises, likeMass EffectandDragon Age, but it’s struggling to get the same level of success in recent years, as bothMass Effect: AndromedaandAnthemreleased to a mixed reaction from its fans.
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Now,BioWare’s general manager Gary McKay revealed that around 50 roles at BioWare will be terminated, and the employees will be laid off or moved to other divisions of EA. According to McKay, this is part of a move to make the team “more agile and focused,” and will allow the team to reorganize to its changing needs. However, McKay promises that BioWare will continue to deliver high-quality games. He also promised thatDreadwolfand the nextMass Effectwould not be negatively impacted by this change in the team’s composition.
Today’s announcement comes on the heels ofthe EA layoffs at the beginning of 2023, which saw 200 QA testers from theApex Legendsteam laid off. EA is reportedly set to lay off around 6% of its entire workforce in 2023, and this change in BioWare’s team is probably a part of this process. The official reason given for such a drastic cut in personnel was that it would improve the focus on projects that aggregated value to the company while moving away from others.
While BioWare is laying off staff, the franchise that put it on the map,Baldur’s Gate, is having its biggest year ever. Developed by Larian Studios,Baldur’s Gate 3is a huge hit on Steam, and it has become one of the highest-rated games of the year with both critics and players. Many critics have affirmed thatBaldur’s Gate 3raised the bar for AAA RPGs due to its excellent storytelling and gameplay freedom. It will be interesting to see if BioWare is able to pull off something similar withDragon Age: Dreadwolf.
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