BioWare devs sent to other EA studios were reportedly ‘loaned out’ temporarily. Now, it’s permanent

A report from Jason Schreier at Bloomberg reveals that BioWare employees were shuffled around to various studios at their parent company EA following the failure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, unaware that they wouldn’t be returning to their studio. 

According to Schreier, by the end of 2024, dozens of BioWare employees were “loaned out” to various EA teams, taking on support roles for games such as Iron Man and Skate. These people shifted priorities under the impression they would return to BioWare when the next Mass Effect game’s production was in full swing. Per internal announcements this week, these were actually permanent relocations. In BioWare’s original statement regarding the restructuring of the studio, general manager Gary McKay said management had “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.” Schreier’s report, on the other hand, makes the relocations sound more like a bait and switch as the loans “morphed” into permanent job changes—one that allowed some employees to remain employed, albeit not with the studio they had actually signed up to work for.

According to Bloomberg’s report, many of these workers aren’t particularly thrilled about the lack of transparency on EA’s end. These employees will have to reapply to BioWare if they intend to work at the company again, which may still be preferable to being fired outright, considering how others have fared.

Approximately 24 other BioWare devs have been laid off. Veteran producer Jen Cheverie shared that she was “devastated” by the news after spending nearly 14 years at BioWare, and writer Trick Weekes noted that they’ll cherish the memories made over 20 years at BioWare as they look for more work. Schreier’s report states that from 2023 to now, BioWare has slashed over half of its team, going from over 200 employess to less than 100, and it appears that for the remaining members, the pressure’s on.

Expectations from fans and executives for BioWare to deliver on the next Mass Effect title are high. Many hope for this project to restore the studio’s reputation as an RPG powerhouse, but some have concerns.

Schreier noted the belief in “BioWare magic” as a staple of company culture: An assumption that the studio’s last couple of projects like The Veilguard, Anthem, and Mass Effect: Andromeda would work out despite the various setbacks teams faced along the way. As BioWare continues to produce a new Mass Effect, it seems EA and studio heads still believe that “magic” can return—despite similar attitudes at other large studios frequently masking problems with management and working conditions during development cycles.

From the perspective of those in charge at EA, the reshuffling and layoffs should streamline the development of BioWare’s current project, but from the way many fans see it, losing decades worth of experience isn’t likely to go over well on a game that needs to be a return to form for the studio.