BioWare is letting go of an undisclosed number of employees, as it moves the ongoing development of Star Wars: The Old Republic to the team at Broadsword. When the news hit that The Old Republic was switching developers, the community felt conflicted. Though it never reached the height of World of Warcraft's popularity, Star Wars fans made the vast galaxy in The Old Republic their home for many years. The game allowed them to live out their Star Wars fantasy – be it as a Dark Lord of the Sith, a hotshot Smuggler, or a ruthless Bounty Hunter – and now it felt like that fantasy was being put on life support.
The agreement established between Electronic Arts and Broadsword Online allows BioWare to focus on Dragon Age and Mass Effect in a full capacity, while still providing The Old Republic players with a steady stream of content. Broadsword is led by former Mythic Entertainment co-founder Mark Denton, who also worked on Star Wars: The Old Republic in its early days. Though the new development team is projected to be made up from half of its former BioWare crew, it was rumored that not all the developers would be making the move.
In a new blog post by General Manager Gary McKay and Executive Producer Keith Kanneg, it was indeed confirmed that BioWare would be laying off some of its developers from The Old Republic team. The rest will either be reassigned to work on Mass Effect and Dragon Age, or be transferred to Broadsword Online Studios. While layoffs are always concerning to read about, it shouldn't hinder the continued support of The Old Republic, and given that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is eyeing a Summer 2024 release, its new team members should help the game reach all remaining development milestones.
As for the longterm future of Star Wars: The Old Republic, Keith Kanneg is among the leadership transferring to Broadsword, which will hopefully ensure stability and consistency in Game Update 7.4 and beyond. Though The Old Republic has enjoyed several expansions over the course of its decade-long history, the content packs have gotten smaller, and the community is worried that the team at Broadsword Online Games will continue the trend rather than reverse it. As bleak as the immediate reaction is among The Old Republic fans, it is ultimately a better option than discontinuing development altogether.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and the next Mass Effect title will certainly receive a significant boost from The Old Republic developers that stay within the company, while those who will be transferring to Broadsword will receive adequate support to ensure a seamless transition. The unfortunate reality of the situation is that some BioWare developers are being let go, but one can hope that they will find gainful employment with relative ease.