Laura Miele, Chief Studios Officer at Electronic Arts has announced the departure of two key figures within BioWare. The gaming studio and legendary developer has lost both the BioWare studio GM, Casey Hudson; and the executive producer for Dragon Age 4, Mark Darrah. Both resignations have dropped out in the industry at seemingly the same time, and it seems all very sudden.
Despite the suddenness of the news, the studio staff are looking to the future and the challenges ahead. “When I think about BioWare’s future and the next generation of talent in place, I could not be more confident or optimistic,” Miele wrote.
“As we look to the studio’s future and the projects currently under development, the next generation of BioWare talent is leading the studio forward and working on some incredible games that I know you will be excited to experience in the coming years.”
Hudson and Darrah also released their own statements. Hudson said that he would be planning his next move, but that he was thankful and “incredibly fortunate to have had a career where I’ve been able to work with brilliantly talented people” on BioWare’s games. Hudson also said that he “will miss being able to work every day with our inspiring developers” on the various games and projects at the company. Since joining the company Hudson has worked leading roles on both Star Wars: The Old Republic and Anthem.
As for Hudson’s reasoning, he admitted that there’s a need to re-evaluate some things.As he put it “2020 has been a year that forced all of us to re-imagine how we think about work and life. For me, it’s been the realization that I still have tremendous energy to create,” and that he needs to do something new. For now, Samantha Ryan from EA will take over leadership responsibilities from Hudson.
Darrah’s own statement on the issue was more centered on the project he’s had the most contact with, Dragon Age 4. The decision comes as 2020 continues to rock the gaming industry and our lives, and as Darrah puts it “the way we work, the way we socialize; these are things that have changed. Some of these changes are temporary but others will remain forever.”
If you’re concerned about Dragon Age 4, don’t be. Dragon Age will be in good hands, as Christian Dailey will take over the Executive Producer role and continue to lead the team. The game will continue to focus on the character depth and engaging writing that has defined the franchise up to this point. And with so many talented folks still at the studio, it looks to be in fine hands.
You can read more from both of them leaving pros and their plans, Casey here and Mark here.
