Electronic Arts developer BioWare — known for popular RPG series such as Baldur’s Gate, STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect — has announced the studio has “canceled approximately 50 roles.”
In order to meet changing needs, it will shift towards a “more flexible and focused studio” – allowing developers to iterate quickly, unlock more creativity and form a clear vision for the games being built before ramping up development. This “extremely difficult” decision will apparently “keep the studio healthy” and allow it to focus more on what it does best: “creating exceptional, story-driven single-player experiences filled with expansive worlds and rich characters.”
Affected teammates will be given “insider opportunities” throughout EA, but not everyone will necessarily be guaranteed a new role. As for projects currently in development such as Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, BioWare insists its commitment remains unwavering. Pre-production for the new Mass Effect game also continues.
As cliche as it sounds, there really is no right time to enact changes like this, but we are confident that we have the right leaders and the right team with the vision, passion and proven track records to deliver world class. Dragon Age And mass effect Experiences our fans will love. BioWare General Manager, Gary McKay
Although no new BioWare projects have been released on the Nintendo Switch, plenty of the company’s older games have made their way to the hybrid system thanks to other developers and publishers. Some of these titles include Never Winter Nights and the original Knights of the Old Republic Star Wars game.
If we hear any other developments, we will let you know.
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