Dragon Age: Dreadwolf developers at BioWare suing for severance

Many people are able to do this. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf developers from BioWare are suing the company for “better severance,” according to a statementA group of ex-employees released the statement. The statement was published by former BioWare Technical Director Jon Renish on X, formerly Twitter.

BioWare general manager Gary McKay announced 50 job cuts at the studio in August in what he called a move toward a “more agile and more focused studio.” McKay said at the time that its layoff process would be “handled with empathy, respect, and clear communication.” But former employees say the company hasn’t provided “adequate severance” for its former workers, many of whom have been with the company for years. According to the statement from the seven former BioWare employees, each of them has worked at the studio for 14 years on average. The company is seeking better compensation that recognizes their work.

“While we remain supportive of the game we worked so hard on, and of our colleagues continuing that work, we are struggling to understand why BioWare is shortchanging us in this challenging time,” one former worker said in a statement.

Alberta courts have recently awarded laid off employees “at least one month of severance pay per year of service, with the full value of all benefits included,” the workers said — much more than what BioWare reportedly offered. BioWare would not budge, despite some workers who were laid off trying to negotiate. The seven employees filed a lawsuit with Alberta, Canada’s Court of King’s Bench to get their “fair severance pay” and damages for “unreasonably poor treatment by BioWare.”

R. Alexander Kennedy, the former BioWare workers’ lawyer, said that BioWare may have included an “illegal provision” in contracts — specifically, ones that keep benefits out of its severance pay, he said. “These people are artists and creators who have worked very hard and for a very long time in a difficult industry, producing big profits for their employer,” Kennedy said. “Their termination without cause en masse like this calls for a response.”

In addition to the layoffs that took place, BioWare, owned by EA, also severed ties with Keywords Studio which provided QA and Playtesting services for Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. Electronic Arts’ representative stated that it was unable to reach an agreement with the company for a brand new contract. In June 2022, BioWare contractors at Keywords Studios’ Edmonton, Canada, location voted yes to unionize.

Polygon has contacted BioWare as well as the representative for the group seven of those laid-off workers to get their comments. We’ll update this story when we hear back.