After Numerous High Level Departures, ‘Dragon Age: Dreadwolf’ Developer BioWare Announces They Are Eliminating 50 Roles
BioWare, the developer behind the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and an untitled Mass Effect game announced they will be eliminating 50 roles.
In a blog post the company’s General Manager Gary McKay announced, “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 then detailed that to meet this goal the company was eliminating 50 positions, “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.”
From there, McKay explained this decision was made to “preserve the health of the studio and better enable us to do what we do best: create exceptional story-driven single-player experiences filled with vast worlds and rich characters. This vision balances the current needs of the studio—namely, ensuring Dragon Age™: Dreadwolf is an outstanding game—with its future, including the success of the next Mass Effect™.”
He went on to note that many of the employees who are losing their positions will be offered the opportunity to find work at other EA studios that have open positions, but he admitted “it’s unlikely that everyone will find a new role within the company.”
As for what the impact of these cuts will be on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, McKay said, ” Our commitment remains steadfast, and we all are working to make this game worthy of the Dragon Age name. We are confident that we’ll have the time needed to ensure Dreadwolf reaches its full potential.”
He then provided an update on the untitled Mass Effect game, “A core veteran team led by Mike Gamble continues their pre-production work on the next Mass Effect. Our commitment to quality continues to be our North Star.
“As cliche as this sounds, there truly is never a good time to enact changes like this, but we trust that we have the right leaders and team in place with vision, passion, and proven track records to deliver world-class Dragon Age and Mass Effect experiences that our fans will love,” McKay added.
This announcement comes about two months after McKay announced Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) was moving from BioWare to Broadsword.
McKay announced back in June, “EA will remain SWTOR’s publisher, development of the game will move to our partner and friends at Broadsword, a boutique studio with expertise in managing online games. Both the Broadsword studio and SWTOR team members will be joining forces and working tirelessly to support “every player, every day,” ensuring that these worlds and these communities continue to thrive and grow.”
With the move to Broadsword, McKay revealed a number of BioWare employees would be losing their jobs as well, “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.”
Not only did BioWare lose SWTOR at the end of June, but they previously lost Dragon Age: Dreadwolf Production Director Mac Walters in January. Walters left the company after 19 years.
He wrote on LinkedIn, “With a new year comes new adventures. As some of you already know, at the end of last year I decided to leave BioWare. These past 19 years have been a life-changing experience to say the least, and it made the choice to go very difficult.
Before Walters, Dragon Age Senior Creative Director Matt Goldman left the company in 2021. McKay announced his departure in email sent to the company employees that was obtained by Kotaku. In the email, McKay said, “Matt Goldman is leaving BioWare. We have mutually agreed to part ways, and his last day is today.”
He added, “We understand that Matt’s departure has an impact on you, as well as the game’s development. Rest assured our commitment to a high-quality Dragon Age game has not waivered, and we will not ship a game that is not up to BioWare’s standards.”
Before Goldman, BioWare lost Dragon Age Lead Producer Fernando Melo in 2019 after 12 years at the company in various roles. They also lost former General Manager Casey Hudson and Executive Producer Mark Darrah in 2020. The two had been with the company for 20 years.
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