EA裁员关停BioWare后开发计划渐明，粉丝与开发者哀悼其终结

Yesterday’s bombshell announcement that Electronic Arts was laying off hundreds of workers and shutting down BioWare has sent a lot of people reeling, but now we’re starting to get a clearer picture of the wider impacts of the firing round, all while fans of the legendary studio and its wide assortment of games offer up their thoughts.

We’ll get the business-related stuff out of the way first, since BioWare isn’t the only developer being impacted here: The memo from EA execs to staff has officially been published, and it contains a few more revelations of note, such as work on a new game in The Sims codenamed Project Evergreen (which almost sounds multiplayer-ish) at the expense of another entry’s development codenamed Project Lotus, confirmation that the next Star Wars: Battlefront title will be co-developed by DICE and Apex Legends’ Respawn Entertainment, and word that staff cuts at Skate developer Full Circle were made “to have a more focused, smaller team to deliver on a very clear roadmap” despite it reportedly having “a lot of success.”

In fact, lauding the success of EA is the leading statement in the memo before telling employees about the incoming cuts. “Today, we’re the number one publisher in Western HD gaming. That’s an extraordinary position to lead from, and one we should be proud of,” the memo begins. “Yet our industry is changing quickly. Players have more choices than ever for their time and attention, competition is intensifying, and some of our biggest opportunities for growth are beyond the markets, platforms, and business models where EA has traditionally been the strongest.”

Of course, BioWare’s shuttering continues to dominate in the minds of most. Leading things off is reaction from former executive producer Mark Darrah, who reminds fans that EA owns BioWare’s IPs, so it’s possible that they will be willing to sell them. “There’s nobody working on a game, […] which might make them more likely to sell off those IPs. But it might also make them more likely to just try to forget that they ever existed and bury them in the vault,” he remarks in a video.

Meanwhile, fans around the internet are paying respects, particularly players of Star Wars: The Old Republic, with thousands of replies on a Reddit thread digesting the news, as many lay much of the blame on leadership mismanagement for the decision while others thank their lucky stars that Broadsword is the steward of the MMORPG. The wider gaming world further mourned the end of BioWare’s single-player RPGs such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect, though evidently the Amazon-produced TV show based on the sci-fi IP is still in development according to insider reports.

Game developers, too, have expressed their dismay at the situation. “My 22 years there made me the man I am,” writes former BioWare lead dev James Ohlen. “It’s almost unimaginable that we’re now entering an era where the name BioWare won’t show up anymore when discussing upcoming RPGs,” remarked Larian Studios CEO Swen Vincke. Others were far less kind, like Warren Spector, who helped create games like Deus Ex. “Anyone who participated in this travesty should be ashamed,” he’s quoted as saying. “Actually, maybe all of the people who participated — the folks in suits (real or virtual) should lose their damn jobs.”