'Future of BioWare is actually in their hands': Edmonton-based video game developer sees change in leadership

BioWare’s leadership transition in 2020 came at an important moment for Edmonton’s largest and longest-running game developer. General manager Casey Hudson and Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah departed as Gary McKay became interim general manager and Christian Dailey assumed leadership of Dragon Age. Despite the changes, Electronic Arts reaffirmed its commitment to both BioWare and Edmonton as the studio’s headquarters. The commitment was significant for Edmonton’s game-development workforce. BioWare employed roughly 300 people and had recently moved into a 75,000-square-foot office in downtown Edmonton’s Epcor Tower, although employees were working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, BioWare was moving forward with new Mass Effect and Dragon Age projects. EA indicated that creative direction continued to originate within BioWare, with the concept for the next Mass Effect pitched by the development team itself, demonstrating continued autonomy for the Edmonton-founded studio within its global parent company.