BioWare made a couple big announcements today regarding their staff.
The company’s general manager Aaryn Flynn announced he’s leaving the company after 17 years, only to be replaced by Casey Hudson, longtime staffer and director for the entire Mass Effect series (before Andromeda) who left back in 2014. Hudson confirmed that he’s coming home to the company as Flynn’s replacement.
From what it sounds like, Hudson’s decision to return was already in motion prior to Flynn deciding to finally leave – however his departure is happening only months after the trouble-at-best launch of Mass Effect: Andromeda.
“I have been contemplating changes in my own life for some time, but when I heard that Casey had confirmed he was up for the task, I realized the opportunities before us,” Flynn wrote in the blog regarding his departure. “I will be working with him over the next couple of weeks to help catch him up and do my part to set him up for success to be the best GM he can be.
Let me thank our players for everything they’ve given us over these many years, and to say from the bottom of my heart how important you are to me and the rest of BioWare. I have gone to work every day knowing that I am fortunate to have all of the opportunities I have had at BioWare because of you. Doing whatever I could to help our developers create some of the best games in the industry for you all has been the most humbling experience of my life.”
Hudson noted that his years away from the developer were “transformative for me, from having time to reflect on what I most want to do, to working with new technologies at platform scale.” He continued:
“I’d also like to wish my good friend Aaryn Flynn the very best in the future. Aaryn and I have worked together from the earliest days of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, to setting the foundation for Anthem. We’ve been through a lot together, and we’re all going to miss his presence at the studio.”
BioWare’s last published game, Mass Effect: Andromeda, is currently available for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Their next game, Anthem, is a sci-fi action-RPG for all the aforementioned platforms, and is set for a release sometime next year.
