BioWare Reportedly Has Fewer Than 100 Staff Members Left

Soon after EA's announcement that Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet the company's expectations, BioWare staffers revealed that they were laid off, in addition to those moved to other parts of the company. A recent report states that with the collective firings, it leaves BioWare with fewer than 100 staff members remaining.

The reason given by BioWare GM Gary McKay was taking the time to "reimagine" what the studio will look like going forward as a "more agile, focused studio that produces unforgettable RPGs." Bloomberg is reporting that the studio now has fewer than 100 employees, down from more than 200 during the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. At its peak, BioWare consisted of three studios with a conservative estimate of 400 employees.

Bloomberg's sources indicate that EA planned to "loan" BioWare developers to other studios as pre-production was planned for the next Mass Effect after Veilguard launched, but the game missed its "engagement" target by 50%. EA did not share specific goal numbers for EA Sports FC 25, simply explaining that it underperformed following two years of growth for the franchise.

Veilguard's disappointment caps off a decade of BioWare underperformance. Live-service game Anthem did not receive good reviews and was eventually shut down, while Mass Effect: Andromeda did match the quality--or sales--of the original trilogy. Even the remastered trilogy faired much better by comparison.

Both Dragon Age: The Veilguard and EA Sports FC 25 received generally favorable reviews from critics, sitting at aggregated scores of 82 and 76 on Metacritic, respectively.