We've been here before.
Several times. Now more than ever, it's important we remain skeptical of anonymous sources until we have confirmation.
I worked for a company that was story-based titan of gaming that got bought out by a company famous for throwing money at everything and still putting mediocrity out. I always thought it was ironic that our dominance started to fade when other companies began to succeed on a formula a female designer had pitched years before, that we had ignored: minimizing combat and focusing more heavily on story. I always wondered what might have happened if she had been listened to, taken seriously. My company was content to chase MMORPGs in a dying market and content to suffer through multiple layoffs.
The toxicity also extends to fans. Remember during the Dragon Age 2 era:
A Polygon article on the wider issue of developer harassment in the Games Industry has revealed that Jennifer Hepler, a senior writer on Dragon Age II and the upcoming Dragon Age: Inquisition, left Bioware this week to go freelance - after being at the centre of an internet abuse storm for her work on the series last year.
Hepler first came to the internet's attention when Dragon Age II released to decent reviews, yet also vociferous fan backlash against the game. The game's writing had drawn the ire of long time fans who didn't think the scope of the story and the characters matched with the wildly popular original, Dragon Age: Origins. At the same time angry fans dug up an interview Hepler had given to the website Killer Betties almost 6 years before the release of Dragon Age II. The original interview is no longer available on Killer Betties (archive here), but Hepler's old comments on video games as a writer lit the touchpaper to what would become a shameful act of harassment and abuse on the behalf of Video game fans
And of course Greg and Ray themselves who couldn't "handle" the criticisms they received from legions of fans who told them to fuck off.
The entire symbiosis at work here is highly problematic. If what these glass doors reviews are true- Then that is a damn shame. A quick google search shows you many anecdotals from anonymous claiming similar thing- That they have an outragous amounts of contracted workers who are let go, with little notice which ruins them.
I have no idea if any of that is true.One should be skeptical, but suffice to say- Over the last dozens of years more and more things have piled up that give a toxic impression of Bioware as a place of work and the fanbase which is passionate but also have fanatical subcultures. AND I mean fanatical in anything from erotica based fanfiction and fanart to homophobia and anger towards samesex romance options in the games and accusations that Bioware is being PC.
It is not unusual for people to become possessive, entitled and hostile towards fiction they care deeply about. George RR Martin lack of being able to finish his book and the anger from the fans of Ice of Ice and Fire, are a good example of consumers in other mediums who seriously need to take a step back and fucking reevaulate.
However- The disappointment and expectatons evolving Bioware are relatively unique and associated with a few individuals. Kojima and Bungie are two who also have rapid scrutiny, hype and idolization. The expectations for story, lore and gameplay are a lot higher than for your usual EA or Ubisoft game. The devoted fanbases go hands in hands with people on the flanks who don't keep their disappointment and hype consistent, but who attack or berade outside the artistic and technical attributes of the game.
I said back then that I condemn the ridicule of Greg and Ray, as I do with all other Bioware employees who've been harassed. Same goes for the hatred against BW Austin and the anger against James Ohlen and the other leads who orchestrated the SWTOR fiasco. The most expensive disappointment in the history of gaming, and also one of the largest.
That project was so gigantic it might have broken Bioware, but none of these people deserve harassment.
They'd never have used that terrible engine if they had known it would perform like that. It was a total sham- A switch and bait, and by the time MMO devs realized that this engine was a disaster, it was too late to go back and re-do it. Bungie ran into similar problems with their engine with Destiny. You *cannot* fix a ship if the ship is beyond fucked. But engine contractors tend to promise support and fixes and the world, and then you're stuck.
What has happened over the last many years at Bioware is terrible. Bioware the darling for many years. They revolutionized gaming narrative. This was the studio where the hardest job was being the writer. It was infamous for being a place where writers had to go through a trial of fire.