Former BioWare employees are suing the studio for better layoff compensation

by Danny Craig · 10/5/23, 11:57 AM
Former BioWare employees are suing the studio for better layoff compensation
BioWare

Ex-employees of Dragon Age developer BioWare are suing for better severance pay after being laid off in August, claiming that the company presented them with "low offers.”

The details:

  • A group of seven former staff members who were caught up in the August layoffs of approximately 50 employees have now filed a Statement of Claim with Alberta's Court of King's Bench, arguing that they should receive additional compensation from BioWare in the form of one month's severance pay per year of service at the studio. The group had been with BioWare for an average of 14 years.
  • According to the group's legal representative (via Kotaku’s Ethan Gach), they rejected the studio's "low offers" and are now "requesting fair severance pay, including punitive damages for what they say is unreasonably poor treatment." They also claim that, given the state of the industry and the inability to use their work from the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf in portfolios due to NDAs, they are "very concerned" about finding work, and that the group is "struggling to understand why BioWare is shortchanging" them.
  • BioWare announced the layoffs in August, stating that the restructuring was necessary to become a "more agile and focused studio." McKay also stated that despite the loss of approximately 50 employees, some of whom were long-time developers, the studio remains confident that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will meet internal deadlines set prior to the decision. This followed another round of layoffs in June, when Broadsword Online Games took over Star Wars: The Old Republic.

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