Mass Effect 5 Development Continues: BioWare Undergoes Major Workforce Shift

One week after revealing that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had significantly underperformed, missing its sales expectations by nearly 50%, Electronic Arts has announced a major restructuring of BioWare, moving many employees to other EA teams as part of an effort to make the company "more agile" — PC Gamer reports

"Now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been released, a core team at BioWare is developing the next Mass Effect game under the leadership of veterans from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others," BioWare general manager Gary McKay stated. "We are taking this opportunity between full development cycles to reimagine how we work at BioWare."

McKay confirmed that, given this stage of development, the full studio is not needed to support the Mass Effect project. Instead, BioWare has worked over the past few months to match many of its employees with other EA teams that had open roles. "Today’s news will see BioWare become a more agile, focused studio that produces unforgettable RPGs. We appreciate your support as we build a new future for BioWare."

While Electronic Arts declined to comment on the possibility of additional layoffs, an EA spokesperson emphasized that BioWare's full focus is now on Mass Effect, stating, "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."

Image Credit: Mike Laidlaw (Bluesky)

Multiple BioWare employees took to social media to confirm they had been laid off, including long-time writers and editors Karin and Trick Weekes, both well-respected contributors to the Mass Effect and Dragon Age franchises. Their departures mark a significant loss of veteran talent at the studio.

These changes raise concerns about BioWare’s future. Dragon Age: The Veilguard now appears to be fully finished, with today's announcement suggesting that its most recent update will be its last. Meanwhile, Mass Effect 5, confirmed in 2020, remains in pre-production with little news on its progress.

This marks BioWare's second recent attempt at restructuring to achieve "agility" and "focus." In August 2023, the studio laid off roughly 50 employees in a move justified by McKay with similar language: "In order to meet the needs of our upcoming projects, continue to hold ourselves to the highest standard of quality, and ensure BioWare can continue to thrive in an industry that’s rapidly evolving, we must shift towards a more agile and more focused studio." The strategy did not appear to work then, leaving many to wonder if it will succeed this time around.

As BioWare pushes forward with Mass Effect 5, fans and industry observers alike will be watching closely to see if the studio can reclaim its former glory or if these repeated cuts signal a troubled future for one of EA’s most prestigious developers.