BioWare in Hot Water Over Layoffs

The Canadian developer faces many challenges due to staff cuts

Developer BioWare, famous for the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises, has come under fire for some recent layoffs that occurred in late August.

In a blog post dated August 23rd of this year, General Manager Gary McKay posted “An Update on the State of BioWare,” in which he detailed that approximately 50 roles at the Canadian studio were eliminated. He described the cuts as “deeply painful” and “necessary, but unavoidable.”

As a result, seven employees that were affected are now suing BioWare for better severance. Jon Renish, a former member of the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf team, posted a statement on Tuesday that describes that the severance provided was inadequate considering the approaching holiday and the rather strict non-disclosure agreement in place for all things Dreadwolf. He goes on to state that without a strong portfolio, the former team members will struggle to find stable positions as the holiday season approaches.

But that’s not the only trouble the studio appears to be in over recent layoffs. According to Polygon, 13 people laid off by BioWare were from Keywords Studios’ QA department that had recently voted unanimously to unionize. The workers, who were supporting quality assurance work for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, lost their jobs on September 27th. “We can confirm that regrettably the 13 Edmonton-based staff have now left the business following the end of a fixed term client contract,” said Keywords Studios global head of marketing Liz Corless.

BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2008 and has suffered many setbacks due to the publisher’s company goals, namely their stance on single-player and live-service games. Sources inside the company say Dreadwolf’s development has been restarted several times due to creative differences. The title was originally supposed to release in September 2023, but now aims to launch at the end of 2024.