EA-owned development studio Bioware has provided a studio update in which the creator of a new Mass Effect has announced layoffs.
In an update on the studio’s blog, General Manager Gary McKay shared an update about the studio and its vision for the future. According to McKay, in order to bloom in the rapidly evolving gaming industry, as well as to become a more agile and more focused studio, around 50 employees of the studios are being laid off. “As part of this transition, we are eliminating approximately 50 roles at BioWare”, the General Manager writes. “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. With that last point in mind, I want to take a moment to explain how we got here, what we’re doing to support our colleagues, and what this means for BioWare’s current and future games.”
McKay adds that a “long-term” vision has been built 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”.
For those affected by the layoffs, Bioware and EA are trying to find new positions within EA.
As for the development of the next Mass Effect – McKay has confirmed that the title is still in pre-production by the team led by Bioware veteran Mike Gamble.
Let’s hope that those being laid off will soon find new positions.
A new Mass Effect entry was announced back in 2020 with the released teaser trailer hinting at a direct sequel to the original trilogy. Last year, Bioware said that the title is in its early stages of development.
We’ll update you as soon as we learn more about the Mass Effect title, or as some call it – Mass Effect 5.
