Developer BioWare has had its share of personnel changes lately, with the departure of general manager Casey Hudson and Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah. Nonetheless, during parent company EA’s Q3 earnings call today, CEO Andrew Wilson voiced his confidence in BioWare and its future.
It’s also true that BioWare has endured its share of criticism over the past few years, especially after the launches of its two most recent games, Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem. With BioWare’s upcoming release of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, its currently in-progress Anthem 2.0 revamp, and now this expression of support, it’s possible the studio is turning things around.
During today’s conference call, one investor questioned the recent departures at BioWare, and Wilson responded by acknowledging the criticism of the past few years, but also praising the studio and its work. In his response, Wilson said that while it might seem from the outside like BioWare has hit a few snags, the truth is that the studio has been exploring more innovative paths over the last several years.
“I think that from the outside world there have been some blips in [BioWare’s] delivery over the last couple of years, but that has come as a result of them pushing deeply into innovation and creativity, and we feel very, very confident about their future roadmap,” Wilson said. Not only that, but Wilson mentioned BioWare’s two biggest franchises, Dragon Age and Mass Effect, confirming that both EA and BioWare have put thought into the future of both.
Wilson also addressed the recent departures specifically, citing both Hudson and Darrah as good friends, and saying that changes like this are normal and bound to happen. “With respect to Casey and Mark leaving, both good friends of mine, and we have tremendous respect for both of them,” Wilson added. “But this happens in the natural course of creative organizations from time to time, and we feel very very good about the ongoing leadership of that studio.” Referencing the studio’s current leadership, Wilson was referring to General Manager Samantha Ryan, Dragon Age Creative Director Matthew Goldman, and Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Lead Mike Gamble.
To the studio’s credit, it does seem like the next couple of years are going to be very important for BioWare, beginning with the release of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition on May 14 of this year. BioWare also reportedly has a veteran team working on the mysterious next Mass Effect title, and another team working on Dragon Age 4, which most recently got a new cinematic teaser during December’s Game Awards. What happens with each of these titles will likely have a big effect on the studio’s future. Fortunately, it seems like BioWare’s parent company, at least, is fully on board and confident in everything the studio is currently working on.
Time will tell if EA’s confidence is well-deserved. Hopefully, BioWare really does have a great future ahead in the coming years.
Source: EA
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