"Mass Effect 5: BioWare's Limited Team Effort, EA Shifts Staff"

Electronic Arts (EA) has announced a significant restructuring at BioWare, the studio behind the popular Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises. The reorganization involves shifting numerous developers to other projects within EA and focusing exclusively on the upcoming Mass Effect game moving forward.

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." He noted that, at this stage of development, the full studio's support is not required for the Mass Effect project. McKay emphasized the talent within BioWare, stating that the studio has been working over the past few months to place many colleagues in suitable roles across other EA teams.

IGN has learned that EA has already reassigned an unspecified number of BioWare developers to equivalent positions within the company. Additionally, a smaller group of Dragon Age team members are facing termination, though they are being given the opportunity to apply for other roles within EA.

BioWare has undergone multiple structural changes in recent years, including layoffs in 2023 and several 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 potential layoffs, but EA did not provide specific figures. However, an EA spokesperson commented:

"The studio's priority was Dragon Age. During this time there were people continuing to build the vision for the next Mass Effect. Now that The Veilguard has shipped, the studio's full focus is Mass Effect. While we're not sharing numbers, the studio 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, is still in its early development phase. BioWare's current strategy is to concentrate on one game at a time. Developers who were previously moved from Mass Effect to Dragon Age to help complete the project are now returning to work on Mass Effect. The development of the new Mass Effect is being led by series veterans including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley.

This restructuring news follows EA's recent announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of its player targets by nearly 50%, prompting EA to adjust its fiscal year guidance. This adjustment was also influenced by weaker-than-expected results from EA Sports FC 25. EA is scheduled to discuss its Q3 earnings in a conference call on February 4.