"Mass Effect 5: BioWare Scales Down, EA Shifts Staff"

Electronic Arts (EA) has revealed a significant restructuring at BioWare, the renowned studio behind the Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises. The studio 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."

McKay noted that, at this stage of development, the full studio's support is not required for the Mass Effect project. He emphasized the talent within BioWare, stating that they have "worked diligently over the past few months to match many of our colleagues with other teams at EA that had open roles that were a strong fit." This move indicates that an undisclosed number of BioWare developers have already transitioned into equivalent roles elsewhere within EA.

A smaller group of developers from the Dragon Age team are facing termination, though they are being given the opportunity to apply for other positions within EA. This restructuring follows a pattern of changes at BioWare, which saw layoffs in 2023 and numerous high-profile departures during the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Notably, director Corinne Busche announced her departure from the studio just last week. The current number of employees at BioWare remains unclear.

IGN reached out to EA for more details on the impact of these changes, including the number of affected individuals and those facing potential layoffs. EA did not disclose specific figures but provided a statement emphasizing that BioWare's priority had been Dragon Age, with some staff continuing to develop the vision for the next Mass Effect. Now that Dragon Age: The Veilguard has been released, the studio's full attention is on Mass Effect. The statement also confirmed that BioWare 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, remains in its early stages. BioWare's strategy is to focus on one game at a time, with developers previously shifted from Mass Effect to Dragon Age now returning to the former. The Mass Effect project is being led by series veterans including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley.

This announcement follows EA's recent disclosure that Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of its player targets by nearly 50%, contributing to a reduced fiscal year guidance, alongside disappointing results from EA Sports FC 25. EA is set to discuss its third-quarter earnings on February 4.