"Mass Effect 5: BioWare's Development Shifts as EA Reallocates Staff"

EA has announced a significant restructuring at BioWare, the studio behind the Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises. The company is shifting its focus entirely to the upcoming Mass Effect game, moving several developers to other projects within EA. In a blog post, BioWare's general manager, Gary McKay, explained that the studio is "taking this opportunity between full development cycles to reimagine how we work at BioWare." He added that, at this stage of development, the full studio's support is not required for the Mass Effect project. As a result, EA has been working to place many BioWare developers into equivalent roles within the company over the past few months.

A smaller group of Dragon Age team members are facing termination, though they are being offered the opportunity to apply for other roles within EA. BioWare has experienced numerous structural changes in recent years, including layoffs in 2023 and several high-profile departures during the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Notably, director Corinne Busche announced her departure last week. The exact number of current BioWare employees remains unclear, and EA has not provided specific figures on how many individuals are affected by these changes. However, an EA spokesperson stated, "The studio's priority was Dragon Age. During this time there were people continuing to build the vision for the next Mass Effect. Now that The Veilguard has shipped, the studio's full focus is Mass Effect. While we're not sharing numbers, the studio has the right number of people in the right roles to work on Mass Effect at this stage of development."

The new Mass Effect game, announced four years ago, is still in its early stages of development. BioWare's strategy now involves prioritizing one game at a time. Some developers who were previously moved from Mass Effect to Dragon Age to help complete the project are now returning to work on Mass Effect. The development of the new Mass Effect is being led by series veterans including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley.

This restructuring comes shortly after EA revealed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of its player targets by nearly 50%, prompting the company to adjust its fiscal year guidance. This adjustment was influenced not only by The Veilguard's performance but also by weaker-than-expected results from EA Sports FC 25. EA is scheduled to discuss these developments further during its Q3 earnings conference call on February 4.