In a recent company blog post, Western RPG developer BioWare gave an update on the state of the studio, including its approach going forward.
To ensure that the studio can thrive in a rapidly evolving industry, BioWare is restructuring its internal teams and laying off 50 employees. This is to fulfill a long-term vision designed to protect the health of the company.
At the moment, BioWare is focusing the majority of its resources on ensuring the next entry in the Dragon Age series, Dreadwolf, turns out well. However, they are also giving heed to the upcoming Mass Effect game, which is currently in pre-production.
Just a few months ago, it was announced that management of Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011), BioWare’s MMORPG set in a galaxy far, far, away, was being given away to Broadsword, the company that handles ongoing services for Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot.
Fortunately, much of the team at BioWare Austin that had worked on the game for years announced they would be moving over to Broadsword. This transition is similar to what happened after Bungie relinquished the rights to Halo back to Microsoft and a new studio, 343 Industries, was formed primarily by ex-Bungie employees.
Still, BioWare made it clear that it is unlikely that others currently still with the studio will find new roles within the company, it is committed to supporting its people as they potentially find jobs elsewhere.