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EXCLUSIVE Insider Tells ALL! BioWare 'Secret' Layoffs DISASTER Behind The Scenes!

Writer's picture: Smash JTSmash JT

BioWare Caught Lying by Omission About MANY Employees being Let Go...

My BioWare insider has reached out to me, confirming what I predicted in my previous coverage and many others have suspected: BioWare ripped a page out of the modern journalism playbook and wasn't being entirely truthful with their customers about the state of its... workforce. While the company skirts around the words and remains silent on the mentioning anything to do with layoffs, (now) former employees have taken to Bluesky to express their frustration, ironically inadvertently exposing BioWare’s attempt to downplay the situation... and mentioning how BioWare was more concerned with public perception and YouTubers making videos, than actually informing their own employees about what's transpiring!


Before I get to my insider's wild and exclusive information, for full context, we need to look at what those affected have had to say... because YIKES!


It's... not a great look.


From the Blog post, specifically, Gary McKay, General Manager of BioWare stated:

We have incredible talent here at BioWare, and so we 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.

...But all that jargon dances around what happens to those that weren't matched to another team at EA... and the fallout from it hasn't been pretty.


Specifically, most, if not all of the writers and editors have been slashed. Ann Lemay (@annlemay.bsky.social) kicked it off by sharing her ...experience:

"I was a writer at BioWare for 5 years (2011-2016). I leaned a lot during that time from exceptional folx in many disciplines, but also specifically from my fellow writers & our amazing editors, on both the ME & DA brands."

While it can be unfortunate to see anyone lose their job anywhere, I can’t help but chuckle at the irony in this post specifically. A 'professional' writer of 5 years at BioWare making multiple grammatical errors while simultaneously lamenting her employment loss? “Leaned” instead of “learned” was just the icing on the cake, folx! It's times like this where I take Asmongold's stance on loss of employment in the games industry, paraphrasing: Too bad, so sad, you weren't good enough, the customers responded by not purchasing slop, and now the consequences are... you're out of a job. I don't feel bad for people like this, because believe me, if the same were to befall YouTubers covering the situation, we all know, they'd be the first one dancing on our graves.


Jen Cheverie (@jencheverie.bsky.social) posted:

"After almost 14 years at BioWare, I am devastated to learn today that myself and others must seek new opportunities. I am so grateful for all of the learning, challenges, and most importantly the team. I will remember my time here with joy. Tomorrow we'll move forward. For today I will just be sad."

Ryan Cormier (@ryancorm.bsky.social) echoed similar sentiments:

"So, my time at BioWare has ended. It was a wild ride with some fantastic people, but it’s time to look for new challenges. I’m an Editor / Writer with 26+ years of experience across video games, novels, short stories, newspapers, and marketing comms. If you know of a good fit, please let me know."

Karin West-Weekes (@karinww.bsky.social) added:

"Hello! I’m looking for work, ideally in an editor role. It’s been an honor to work with so many talented professionals, and a pleasure to meet so many amazing community members, in my 19 years at BioWare. I’m so grateful to all of you."

Trick Weekes (@trickweekes.bsky.social) shared:

"I'm now looking for a new writing/narrative position. It's been a privilege to work with so many amazing devs over my 20 years at BioWare, and I will cherish the memories of the wonderful folks in the community I've met along the way. Thank you all."

These first-hand accounts paint a very different picture from the one BioWare tried to present publicly with their 'Studio Update' Blog Post from the other day. This isn't just a minor shake-up—nah... this is a full-on gutting of their experienced writing and editorial staff, and potentially far reaching beyond that as well. The lack of transparency extreme, and was something I called out in my previous coverage of this situation, how they seemingly sidestepped any mention of layoffs, but the math didn't add up whatsoever. It was a PR puff piece trying desperately to save face, but at the end of the day, the only thing being saved was the pie to be on it after the truth came out.


Now, let’s get to what my insider revealed about what's really going on with the situation, internally:

"The team on the current project is expected to be fewer than 72 members for the time being (until production begins). Only the core team members are being retained to refine the pitch and ensure the mistakes from past projects are not repeated. The situation is critical for the studio’s future.
The concept of becoming more 'agile' likely involves rotating team members in and out based on project needs. Additionally, it would not be surprising if by agile they meant that the Edmonton site is expected to close, and remaining staff will be working offsite. This will help reduce costs while keeping the operations going.
A full shutdown was a real concern, which would have negatively impacted both employees and the community. This restructuring is seen as the best possible outcome, despite the challenges caused by some individuals who pushed an agenda that wasn’t aligned with the core vision.
Bioware Montreal, who saw Mass Effect: Andromeda fail, were not given this opportunity—they were closed down entirely and their staff had to find new studios or be laid-off."

My biggest takeaway from all this was the "Additionally, it would not be surprising if by agile they meant that the Edmonton site is expected to close, and remaining staff will be working offsite." quote. That right there reaffirms there may still be legs on the rumor that BioWare Edmonton may be shut down following the EA Townhall sometime in February (we do not have an exact date at this time).

The environment at EA’s BioWare is anything but stable these days, and it’s looking like things will get much worse before (hopefully) rebounding... We can only hope that this is the rock-bottom moment where BioWare finally realizes the damage done by its poor decisions over the years with narrative direction and hiring practices. If there’s any silver lining, it’s that perhaps—just perhaps—this will be the wake-up call needed to refocus on what truly matters: making the kinds of games that gamers actually want to play, with the great employees that love making great games at BioWare. ~Smash


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5 Comments


Cal89
Cal89
Feb 03

Just found this site and what a breath of fresh air it is!

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Outside of re-releasing the ME trilogy, The only new stuff they've released in the last ten years DA: Inquisition, Shadow Realms, Andromeda, Anthem then a five year gap before FailHard. These writers averaged one project every two years. How can these people not have seen this coming?

Edited
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konthar
Jan 31

As far a Bioware, Specifically, they've been dying a LONG time. When you look at how the company came to be, what motivated the original owners & team, it was clear that by the time of the 'Mass Effect 3' Debacle, that the company had the equivalent of Terminal Cancer & it was just a matter of time.


Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk were Totally devoted to their company's creative output in the late 2000's & very early 2010's. Then, what happens after ME3 is released?


They left.


No matter what was publicly said after that point, the Bioware that had been King of the RPG Hill for the prior decade, was dead and gone.


The Tragedy of it was,…


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Mr0303
Mr0303
Jan 31

All of them on Bluesky. Speaks volumes. Hopefully these talentless propagandists never find work again.

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PythonBacon
PythonBacon
Jan 30

This is what they deserve for tampering with Miranda's ass!

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