An internal email from BioWare CEO Casey Hudson was leaked. In it, they admit to the mistakes in the development of Anthem .
What went wrong? In recent weeks, there has been a lot of criticism for Anthem, which peaked a few days ago with an insider report from Kotaku. There were mentions of poor management, significant development issues, and far too little time spent on the main production of the game. This reportedly led to a fragmentation of the story and controversial grind.
After the order was given to BioWare employees not to speak with the press, an official statement followed. However, in this case, they decided not to address the article further because they considered it “not helpful,” as it attacked individual employees.
Internally, it seems to be different. As Kotaku reports, an internal message from Casey Hudson, the General Manager of BioWare, has been circulated.
What does the message say? In the email, Hudson addresses “the Kotaku article and the discussions that have arisen online from it.”
BioWare wants to become a better workplace: Hudson seems particularly concerned that BioWare transforms into a workplace where employees do not have to work with too much stress or fear, but rather enjoy their work. This is important for the well-being of everyone and thus also for the quality of the games. He wants to create a place where everyone is “happy and successful.”
However, in recent days, it has felt to him as if he had failed in this task. Many steps have already been taken in the right direction, such as a clear vision for the studio, clear values to stand for, and a high standard to strive for. Additionally, the role of each employee should be more clearly defined so that expectations can be met.
Positive words to conclude: Hudson ends his email with the clear goal of making BioWare “a place that meets the highest expectations of BioWare games, based on a work environment that is among the very best in the world.” He then asks for feedback from employees and mentions that they are always open to issues and want to work on solutions.
The complete email in English can be found in our sources.
What are your thoughts on Anthem and the whole revelation story regarding the issues in its development? Do you believe that BioWare will improve in this regard? Or are these general problems in the gaming industry?
