EA Lays Off 50 People in Its BioWare Studio, Parts Ways With Unionized Keywords Playtesting Firm

Electronic Arts (EA) has decided to let go of 50 people under its BioWare studio. These include staff working on the "Dragon Age: Dreadwolf," which is in the late stages of development.

BioWare's Gary McKay Gave the Announcement of Studio Layoffs

According to Venture Beat, the announcement of layoffs could have a negative effect on the studio's morale and increase the difficulty of its development environment.

BioWare studio is reportedly based in Edmonton, Canada. Gary McKay told employees about the move designed to make the EA-owned developer more "agile" and "focused." McKay works as the BioWare's general manager.

EA-Owned Developer BioWare Studio Would be Letting Go Around 20 Percent of Its total Workforce

According to the Wall Street Journal, EA is estimated to have around 12,000 to 13,000 employees, while BioWare has about 250 people. The company cut approximately 20 percent of its total workforce in the studio.

It was reported that the decision was made for the studio to meet the upcoming project demands and to ensure high-quality standards moving forward.

"It will allow our developers to iterate quickly, unlock more creativity, and form a clear vision of what we're building before development ramps up," McKay said in a statement.

Decision Was Described as Unavoidable, and the Studio Was Trying to Go Through It Properly

According to McKay, laying off some employees was "unavoidable."

"To achieve this, we find ourselves in a position where change is not only necessary, but unavoidable. As difficult as this is to say, rethinking our approach to development inevitably means reorganizing our team to match the studio's changing needs," he noted.

McKay added that they wanted the process to be handled with "empathy," "respect," and even "clear communication." Aside from this, an EA spokesperson also revealed how an agreement with game services firm Keywords that provides playtesting services was not met.

In June 2022, some contractors of Keywords voted to unionize. According to recent news, EA was not able to reach a new contract with them. Because of this, the two entities would wait until September 27, when the contract is expected to expire.

It remains unclear as to the fate of the contractors should EA pull their contract, but with the loss of a major client, it could result in some people losing their jobs unless Keywords can find another client to replace EA.

Keywords' Next Move Remains Unknown After EA Expected to End Contract

Although renewed work orders were given to Keywords since the unionization, the two companies were not able to reach agreeable terms, according to industry sources.

It was reported that the contract requirements of Keywords were beyond what EA or Bioware needed, especially with the changed approach in development.

The new layoff announcement comes just three months after the company decided to move production for "Star Wars: The Old Republic," one of its largest multiplayer online games, to Broadsword, a third-party publisher in Virginia.

So far, Broadsword has already taken over other titles, like "Dark Age of Camelot" and the popular "Ultima Online."