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BioWare Lays off 50 People to Restructure into 'Agile' Team Focused on Core Single-Player Franchises

SystemSystem Member UncommonPosts: 12,599
edited August 2023 in News & Features Discussion

imageBioWare Lays off 50 People to Restructure into 'Agile' Team Focused on Core Single-Player Franchises | MMORPG.com

A restructuring at BioWare as a more "agile" team will mean about 50 layoffs as the company focuses on its single-player franchises, Dragon Age and Mass Effect.

Read the full story here


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Comments

  • DattelisDattelis Member EpicPosts: 1,675
    edited August 2023
    image
    olepiSovrathJeroKaneScotRoinMensurOldKingLoggastovski1
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 44,057
    DattelisJeroKane

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

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  • ValdemarJValdemarJ Member RarePosts: 1,417
    Smart because the industry is filled with low effort GaaS games. Focus is better than trying to do and be everything half-assed. Now, let's see what they're going to do.
    Bring back the Naked Chicken Chalupa!
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 44,057
    edited August 2023
    Keep pushing out even more low effort GaaS titles I'm thinking.

    ;)
    SovrathRoinOldKingLoggastovski1

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

    "This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon






  • DattelisDattelis Member EpicPosts: 1,675
    edited August 2023
    Remember this? https://www.engadget.com/anthem-redesign-updates-063248496.html with a year later: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/gaming/2021/02/24/bioware-cancels-anthem-video-game-redesign/6806821002/
  • EmeraqEmeraq Member UncommonPosts: 1,063

    ValdemarJ said:

    Smart because the industry is filled with low effort GaaS games. Focus is better than trying to do and be everything half-assed. Now, let's see what they're going to do.



    But but if they half-ass two consecutive games, don't those two together make an Ass-Whole? :)
    CondarFreedKyleranSovrathstrawhat0981Calavrygastovski1
  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,060
    The refocus on single player games is for the best, honestly. Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.
    RaagnarzShadysaltzArglebargleJeroKanegastovski1
  • TillerTiller Member LegendaryPosts: 11,485
    Agile... most of the game industry doesn't practice that methodology yet.
    SWG Bloodfin vet
    Elder Jedi/Elder Bounty Hunter
     
  • RyukanRyukan Member UncommonPosts: 858
    Their attempt at spinning this is just absolutely pathetic.
    JeroKane
  • ArglebargleArglebargle Member EpicPosts: 3,481
    EA:  We destroy Worlds!
    OldKingLog

    If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.

  • ValdemarJValdemarJ Member RarePosts: 1,417
    edited August 2023
    The article missed pointing out that EA is laying off around 6% of it's workforce as reported by The Verge earlier this year. https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/29/23662228/ea-layoffs-workers-employeesrestructuring

    .....a 6 percent cut could eliminate around 780 jobs. The company already started notifying some affected workers earlier this quarter and says it expects this to “continue through early next fiscal year.”

    The Verge article doesn't specifically mention Bioware, but does report the EA workforce at 13K in its calculation, which makes me inclined to think it does include their subsidiaries.

    Doesn't really matter though, the point being EA is making cuts across the company and it isn't surprising Bioware is getting hit too.


    JeroKaneGorwe
    Bring back the Naked Chicken Chalupa!
  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,423
    The staff get laid off after EA's bad decision to make them build Anthem etc. But do the EA executives who made that decision suffer in any way? Not on your gold plated nelly they don't.
  • GorweGorwe Member Posts: 1,609
    edited August 2023
    Scot said:
    The staff get laid off after EA's bad decision to make them build Anthem etc. But do the EA executives who made that decision suffer in any way? Not on your gold plated nelly they don't.
    The worst that can happen is they change corporations. A shakeup of sorts needs to happen so Execs of various forms need to put in some kind of effort.

    Also, I'm willing to give them a benefit of a doubt. Laying off people isn't always a bad business / dev move.
  • AngrakhanAngrakhan Member EpicPosts: 1,837

    Aeander said:

    The refocus on single player games is for the best, honestly. Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.



    Have to disagree on Mass Effect. I can't stand those games. 30 minutes of dialogue followed by 2 minutes of combat then 30 more minutes of dialogue. If I wanted to watch a movie instead of play a game I'd watch a movie. I know people love it, though. Just not my thing.
  • DigDuggyDigDuggy Member RarePosts: 694
    Agile is a legit way to go.  It's effective when done right.  When moving to Agile, they would have done a data flow analysis of their structure to see what needs to be cut to make things more efficient.   I don't have any insight into the company, but on the surface, this should be a good move.  Whether their games get better, is another question.  Agile won't fix creative or terrible design choices.
    Kyleran
  • OldKingLogOldKingLog Member RarePosts: 601
    Aeander said:
    The refocus on single player games is for the best, honestly. Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.

    Don't agree on either sentiment. Replacing game play with heavy handed cut-scene story telling is not "fun". Also single player games take too long to recoup financial investment so are being replaced with G.a.a.S. These companies have seen where the money is and there is no turning back.
    Kyleran
  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,060
    edited August 2023
    Aeander said:
    The refocus on single player games is for the best, honestly. Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.

    Don't agree on either sentiment. Replacing game play with heavy handed cut-scene story telling is not "fun". Also single player games take too long to recoup financial investment so are being replaced with G.a.a.S. These companies have seen where the money is and there is no turning back.
    How many GaaS shut down in less than a year, just within the last couple years?  :p
  • OldKingLogOldKingLog Member RarePosts: 601
    Aeander said:
    Aeander said:
    The refocus on single player games is for the best, honestly. Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.

    Don't agree on either sentiment. Replacing game play with heavy handed cut-scene story telling is not "fun". Also single player games take too long to recoup financial investment so are being replaced with G.a.a.S. These companies have seen where the money is and there is no turning back.
    How many GaaS shut down in less than a year, just within the last couple years?  :p

    Doesn't matter, these companies have already made their investment back several times over. A GaaS being shut down after the brunt of the potential customers have already shot their wads can only be a good thing for them. These companies mantras should be "Launch it, Monetize the Shit out of it, Dump it."
  • AeanderAeander Member LegendaryPosts: 8,060
    OldKingLog said:
    Aeander said:
    Aeander said:
    The refocus on single player games is for the best, honestly. Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.

    Don't agree on either sentiment. Replacing game play with heavy handed cut-scene story telling is not "fun". Also single player games take too long to recoup financial investment so are being replaced with G.a.a.S. These companies have seen where the money is and there is no turning back.
    How many GaaS shut down in less than a year, just within the last couple years?  :p

    Doesn't matter, these companies have already made their investment back several times over. A GaaS being shut down after the brunt of the potential customers have already shot their wads can only be a good thing for them. These companies mantras should be "Launch it, Monetize the Shit out of it, Dump it."
    This guy thinks these games shut down in less than a year because they made money. Fucking lol.

    No, these games shut down in less than a year because they flopped hella hard, and the cost of keeping development on them exceeded the return.
  • olepiolepi Member EpicPosts: 3,053
    My experience in layoffs in the semiconductor world is that there are three basic kinds :

    1) a change in products, so a particular product is discontinued and that team is let go, it kind of sounds like this in this case

    2) a general reduction in workforce to save money, usually impacting middle-management the most

    3) a layoff of the bottom 10% based on reviews, this typically happens once a year unless times are good.
    KyleranScot

    ------------
    2024: 47 years on the Net.


  • GorweGorwe Member Posts: 1,609
    edited August 2023
    Angrakhan said:

    Aeander said:

    The refocus on single player games is for the best, honestly. Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.



    Have to disagree on Mass Effect. I can't stand those games. 30 minutes of dialogue followed by 2 minutes of combat then 30 more minutes of dialogue. If I wanted to watch a movie instead of play a game I'd watch a movie. I know people love it, though. Just not my thing.
    I don't know. While Bioware games are fun once in a while, the super intense focus on dialogues is ... honestly? Memorable yet exhausting. These games need a very good design to truly work.

    They are not "plug and play" games. In fact, they are more similar to stuff like Game of Thrones or, even more epic, Malazan.
  • NeoyoshiNeoyoshi Member RarePosts: 1,489

    Aeander said:

    Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.




    Mass Effect is great, but greatest in history? Errrrrrrrrr..

    image



    ScotAeander


    Fishing on Gilgamesh since 2013
    Fishing on Bronzebeard since 2005
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    Born with a fishing rod in my hand in 1979
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 44,057
    Neoyoshi said:

    Aeander said:

    Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.




    Mass Effect is great, but greatest in history? Errrrrrrrrr..

    image



    Be interesting to know what you or others think are better.

    Not seriously asking, just looking for an opportunity to slag on another's opinion.

    :)
    Aeander

    "True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde 

    "I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant

    Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm

    Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV

    Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™

    "This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon






  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 24,423
    Kyleran said:
    Neoyoshi said:

    Aeander said:

    Mass Effect is gaming's greatest trilogy.




    Mass Effect is great, but greatest in history? Errrrrrrrrr..

    image



    Be interesting to know what you or others think are better.

    Not seriously asking, just looking for an opportunity to slag on another's opinion.

    :)
    I can't wait to give a thumbs down to everyone's choices myself. :)

    Going to have to have a think about what is the best tribology ever, it is a tall order.
    KyleranOldKingLog
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