Publisher EA announced cost-saving measures at the beginning of 2023 and is now taking action. About 50 employees at the studio BioWare (Anthem, Dragon Age) will be let go, and the contract with a game testing company will not be renewed.
What has now become known? Publisher Electronic Arts (EA) continues to work diligently on its corporate structure. Throughout 2023, they have already out sourced the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic to the company Broadsword, which will now handle maintenance.
In March 2023, EA announced that it plans to lay off 6% of its staff to respond to the uncertain economic climate (via gamesindustry.biz). This could mean between 700 and 800 layoffs.
Now, 50 employees from EA-owned studio BioWare have been affected. Contracts with a game testing partner are also apparently not being extended. What the responsible parties say about this can be found here on MeinMMO.
The mega event gamescom 2023 is currently taking place in Cologne. MeinMMO is on site; here is our conclusion about the ONL:
Why is BioWare laying off people? In a detailed statement, BioWare’s General Manager, Gary McKay, addresses the 50 layoffs (via blog.bioware.com).
They want to meet “the requirements of our upcoming projects” and “continue to adhere to the highest quality standards.”
To achieve this, they need to become “a more agile and focused studio.” This will allow them to better utilize developers, foster creativity, and “have a clear idea of what we are building before development begins.”
McKay clarifies: They are restructuring the studio and want to “rethink the development approach.” Changes in the composition of personnel are “inevitable.” They want to offer professional support to the affected employees when they apply for another position within the EA group.
The BioWare head also promises: The layoffs will not impact the ongoing projects in the studio. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and the pre-production of an unnamed Mass Effect project are on track. Both games do not yet have a release date.
McKay says the news is painful for him, but the changes are necessary. He thanks the community, and the team looks forward to providing the first concrete information about Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. However, he does not reveal when that will happen.
Why is the work with game testers ending? In addition to the layoffs at BioWare, publisher EA also announces the end of collaboration with game testing company Keywords Studios.
The Canadian company made headlines in June 2022 when parts of the workforce organized themselves into a union. Employees wanted to challenge the unilaterally imposed cancellation of remote work arrangements after the pandemic.
Keywords Studios wanted to bring the game testers back to the office, which would mean long commutes for some employees and could lead to costs of up to 10% of their salary (via labournet.de).
Unlike in Germany, unions are not a given in Canada or the USA.
According to venturebeat.com, EA stated that they could not agree on an extension of the collaboration. The contract will thus expire on September 27.
The studio BioWare was once considered one of the most innovative game developers in terms of storytelling. Its reputation has since suffered somewhat, partly due to statements from former employees:
