From an outsider’s perspective, it sure looks like BioWare is in trouble. The studio has a massive bomb on its hands in the form of Star Wars: The Old Republic, and mounting fan pressure over the quality of sequels like Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age II seems to be more than some in the company can cope with. Also, there’s the whole “EA sucking everyone’s souls out” thing.

The latest casualty? Daniel Erickson, lead writer of Star Wars: The Old Republic. After working with BioWare for seven years, he’s confirmed that he’s left the company and is looking for something else. This news come almost immediately after SWTOR producer Rich Vogel jumped ship, which in turn followed the big news that the company’s two founders, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, were leaving the games industry behind.

These rapid-fire departures are just the latest in a long-running trend—since the release of Dragon Age II last year, BioWare has lost Brent Knowles (lead designer on Dragon Age: Origins), Jesse Houston (Mass Effect 3 producer), Drew Karpyshyn (writer for Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect series) and a crapload of other people. It definitely doesn’t bode well for the future of the company, especially with the swirling rumors regarding BioWare Austin being re-branded “EA Austin.”

Of course, people do shift studios in the games industry. BioWare could be just fine. It all depends on their next round of games.
Thoughts?

[GS]

Tweet

100% of voters think this story ROCKS!

Vote Now!    (4) (0)