In a significant move within the gaming industry, developers BioWare have reportedly reduced their workforce to fewer than 100 employees after "around two dozen" staff were laid off. Many employees behind 2024's Dragon Age: The Veilguard were either let go, or assigned to other projects by their parent company, Electronic Arts.
As reported by Bloomberg, the disappointing response to their follow-up to 2014's Game of the Year, Dragon Age: Inquisition, resulted in EA "missing sale expectations by 50%" with a total player count of 1.5 million. BioWare massively innovated the RPG genre from the late 90s to the early 2010s, from the early Baldur's Gate titles to Mass Effect to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The mediocre reviews for recent titles like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem resulted in turbulent issues for the studio, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard's mixed fan reception escalated the internal struggles.
Bloomberg's report revealed that just two years ago, the total workforce at BioWare was more than 200. However, after the layoffs and restructuring, BioWare's staff has been slashed in half as less than 100 employees are working on the next Mass Effect game. According to the report,...
