Matt Wales
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Following the news that development of BioWare’s free-to-play MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic would be shifting to a third-party studio, BioWare general manager Gary McKay has now confirmed some team members will lose their jobs as a result of the move.
Writing on the BioWare website, McKay explained that “most of the current team will be invited to accompany” Star Wars: The Old Republic as its development switches over to Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot studio Broadsword Online Games – a move EA previously said was necessary so BioWare could focus on its new Mass Effect and Dragon Age titles.
“Unfortunately,” McKay continued, “not every role will make the move. This is the hardest part of this transition, and these decisions were not made lightly.”
McKay insisted EA is “doing everything we can to support” those affected, and that the employees in question will “have an opportunity to find new roles within EA”. He did not, however, divulge the number of Star Wars: The Old Republic team members that would lose their jobs as a result of the move.
“In the long run, though,” McKay continued, “we are confident that this is the best decision for the game and its community. We at BioWare will miss being a part of SWTOR’s story going forward. But we also know that it will be in very good hands.”
McKay added Broadsword is “working tirelessly to [ensure] these worlds and these communities continue to thrive and grow”, and that plans are already in place for Star Wars: The Old Republic’s future, including “exciting new features planned that the team is not quite ready to talk about yet”. BioWare previously insisted the game’s shift to a new developer did not mean it was entering maintenance mode, and that it was “planning for 2024 and 2025”.