Summary
Earlier this week,BioWareannounced thatit was undergoing restructuring, as the nextMass Effectgame is not ready to start full development. As part of this, many developers have been moved to “other teams at EA”, seeing some work at Motive Studio on the new Iron Man game.
However, since that announcement was made, it has now become apparent that not everyone was moved. Many developers have shared that they’re no longer with BioWare, and are looking for jobs elsewhere. Among those looking for work is Trick Weekes, who has been with the studio for almost two decades, working on every Mass Effect andDragon Agegame.
Multiple BioWare Devs Laid Off
This comes after Dragon Age: The Veilguard reached 1.5 million players
Many now former BioWare developers are taking to Bluesky to look for new jobs. This would line up with howIGNreported on the matter, as it understood that a “smaller number” of BioWare devs are “seeing their roles terminated”, rather than being automatically moved to other EA projects.
Jason Schreier from Bloomberg isnow reportingthat these moves to other EA studios are permanent, rather than temporary as the devs were originally told.
During their almost 20 years at BioWare, Weekes worked on every Mass Effect and Dragon Age release. As part of this, they wrote for fan favourite characters like Tali in Mass Effect, and Solas in Dragon Age. Their most recent role was as the lead writer ofDragon Age: The Veilguard.
Karin West-Weekes is also among those looking for work, having been with BioWare for almost two decades as well. She worked as an editor before her role was terminated. Another editor, Ryan Cormier, is also looking for a new position. He was a narrative editor who worked on Neve, Harding, Emmrich, Taash, and Varric in The Veilguard.
Producer Jen Cheverie has also been caught up in the layoffs. She had been with the studio sinceDragon Age: Inquisition, and then worked onAnthemand The Veilguard.
Among those who have been moved to other EA studios, there’s writer Sheryl Chee and cinematic designer Derek Wilks. Given the latest reporting on the matter, it’s unclear if they will return to BioWare for Mass Effect 5.
There is no release date for Mass Effect 5, and it appears to be in the very early stages of development. Key figures have been appointed to the project now that The Veilguard’s development has concluded.
EA was contacted for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.
