BioWare masks developer layoffs with Mass Effect 5 announcement

BioWare has put out a strangely opaque statement about the current developer situation at the company that has been coupled with a positive announcement regarding Mass Effect 5.

The developer took to its blog to announce that Mass Effect 5 has officially begun development, with the studio writing the "core team at BioWare is developing the next Mass Effect game" and that the project is headed by leadership from the original trilogy of games. That veteran leadership includes Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others.

Moreover, BioWare writes that it's taking this time between the release of Dragon Age: Veilguard, which publisher EA confirmed underwhelmingly performed sales-wise, and the development of Mass Effect 5 to reimagine "how we work at BioWare" and to "think deeply about delivering the best experience to our fans."

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Then the message gets strange, or at least the language does. BioWare goes on to write that the current stage of development for Mass Effect 5 doesn't "require support from the full studio," and that BioWare has been working with affected staff to find other appropriate positions at EA. BioWare adds it's becoming a "more agile, focussed that produces unforgettable RPGs."

Forbes reports the opaque text from BioWare translates to a certain number of layoffs, and these moves by the company appear to be permanent. Moreover, the layoffs appear to be targeting Dragon Age team members, which is sourced from social posts from writers, editors, producers, managers, and system designers that worked on the recently released title. At the moment, the specific number of layoffs remains a mystery.