EA’s Bioware Is Laying Off 50 Employees

Electronic Arts-owned video game developer Bioware, which operates in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and Austin, Texas, is laying off 50 employees. No specifics have been made public regarding which positions will be eliminated.

The layoffs look to be part of a larger restructuring happening at EA, which employed roughly 12,900 people as of March of 2022. In March of this year, EA CEO Andrew Wilson announced that the company would be cutting roughly 6% of its staff, or around 800 employees, worldwide.

In a letter sent to employees and published on the company’s website, company vice president and general manager Gary McKay said:

[News of the layoffs] is deeply painful and humbling to write. We are doing everything we can to ensure the process is handled with empathy, respect, and clear communication.

The timing of the layoffs is perhaps surprising given that the studio is currently nearing completion on the highly anticipated role-playing game Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. In his letter, McKay explained the timing, saying:

We’ve chosen to act now in part to provide our impacted colleagues with as many internal opportunities as possible. These changes coincide with a significant number of roles that are currently open across EA’s other studios. Impacted employees will be provided with professional resources and assistance as they apply for these positions.

McKay said that despite the layoffs, “Our dedication to the game has never wavered. Our commitment remains steadfast, and we all are working to make this game worthy of the Dragon Age name. We are confident that we’ll have the time needed to ensure Dreadwolf reaches its full potential.”

He further added that the layoffs would allow Bioware to become an “agile and more focused studio” and that a smaller team would help “developers to iterate quickly, unlock more creativity, and form a clear vision of what we’re building before development ramps up.”

Regarding future productions, Bioware said that pre-production would continue on the next Mass Effect game.