BioWare Has Half The Staff Working In The Studio As It Used To, Making The Headcount Less Than 100 After Layoffs

Published Feb 2, 2025

Followed

In a significant move within the gaming industry, developers BioWare have reportedly reduced their workforce to fewer than 100 employees after "around two dozen" staff were laid off. Many employees behind 2024's Dragon Age: The Veilguard were either let go, or assigned to other projects by their parent company, Electronic Arts.

Over Half The Staff At BioWare Have Been Laid Off

Employees Were Redirected To Other EA Games

Bloomberg's report revealed that just two years ago, the total workforce at BioWare was more than 200. However, after the layoffs and restructuring, BioWare's staff has been slashed in half as less than 100 employees are working on the next Mass Effect game. According to the report, several employees were redirected to temporarily work on other EA games shortly after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, with Bloomberg mentioning games like Iron Man and the Skate reboot. These loans had then "morphed into permanent relocations", which were allegedly received poorly by many of the staff .

The current plans for the Edmonton-based developers were revealed in a Studio Update, concerning the development of the next Mass Effect game. This was announced by General Manager Gary McKay in a statement, confirming that "a core team at Bioware" will be working on the latest in the sci-fi series. This will be under "the leadership of veterans" who worked on the original titles, as McKay stated that "[BioWare] don't require from the full studio," instead focusing on a small, but focused team of developers.

Layoffs In The Industry Are At An All-Time High

1 In 10 Gaming Developers Have Been Let Go In Recent Years

The challenges faced by BioWare aren't unusual in the gaming industry, as they are indicative of a broader trend faced by many other studios and developers. As revealed by the and complex narratives for their games.

Different Classes from Dragon Age The Veilguard

Director Of Dragon Age The Veilguard Has Left EA & BioWare

A few months after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the game's director Corrine Busche, is leaving BioWare and EA to work on a new project.

Posts

As iconic development studios are being shut down or restructured frequently by major publishers, the concerning report into BioWare underscores the difficult transition in modern gaming market dynamics. The Mass Effect game's small development team will be focusing on crafting a high-quality experience that will capture audiences' interests, and not face closures like other EA acquisitions, such as Pandemic, Maxis, and Visceral Games.