It’s been a fun ride, but the guys behind two of BioWare’s most popular franchises have revealed that they’re leaving the studio after 20-plus years of game development.
Studio GM Casey Hudson (who’s best known for directing the Mass Effect trilogy) and Dragon Age Executive Producer Mark Darrah announced their departures via separate blog posts today, assuring fans that future installments are in good hands despite their surprise retirements.
“One of the things that makes these decisions easier is knowing that BioWare will move forward with a strong and complete set of studio leaders,” Hudson wrote. “We have a very talented leader in Gary McKay, our Sr. Director of Development Operations, who will be BioWare’s interim Studio GM. Christian Dailey has been a driving force for BioWare as Studio Director for BioWare Austin and will be taking over the role of Dragon Age’s Executive Producer.”
“Mass Effect too has an exciting future,” Darrah added. “I won’t say too much but I am impressed by the growth of Mike Gamble and I am looking forward to all that franchise will do under his leadership.”
It isn’t clear why Hudson and Darrah have decided to jump ship, but the timing seems a little odd based on how busy BioWare is with its current projects, which include Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Dragon Age 4, and Anthem. We can’t help but think that the failure of the latter (and, perhaps, some EA shenanigans) contributed to their decision to exit.