In the latest BioWare update on the development of the next Mass Effect stage, the developer says it does not “require support from the full studio,” and has moved several employees to other teams at Electronic Arts. While the developer says it is reimaging how the company works, it still touts the leadership of veterans of the original trilogy.
Following the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, a “core team at BioWare” is hard at work on the next Mass Effect game, the company wrote in a blog post today. However, an unclear number of employees have been moved to “other teams at EA that had open roles that were a strong fit.” IGN has also reported that a small number of Dragon Age team members have had their roles terminated.
In their post, BioWare highlighted members of the veteran leadership leading production on the next Mass Effect game:
- Michael Gamble: Manager and Producer on Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3, and Andromeda.
- Preston Watamaniuk: Lead Designer on the original trilogy.
- Parrish Ley: Cinematic Animator for the original trilogy.
- Derek Watts: Art Director for the original trilogy.
Many believe this next Mass Effect title is a make-or-break release for BioWare. Dragon Age: The Veilguard went through a lengthy, turbulent development cycle, and despite some critical success, the 1.5 million copies sold was half of what Electronic Arts expected. This combined with EA Sports FC 25 missing internal expectations resulted in a massive 17% drop in EA’s stock value. Veilguard’s game director Corrine Busch left the company earlier this month, after 18 years with the company.
Does this change cause concern for Mass Effect 5? Let us know in the comments below or on our community forum!
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