BioWare general manager Casey Hudson has reportedly emailed the studio’s employees internally to address issues raised in a recent Kotaku investigative report. The report involved anonymized interviews with BioWare employees. The interviews included accounts of troubled development on Anthem and other BioWare games as well as the toll it took on the employees.
The writer of the article, Jason Schreier, tweeted an excerpt of the email that Casey Hudson reportedly sent to employees yesterday:
UPDATE: Yesterday afternoon, not long after this tweet, Bioware GM Casey Hudson sent a long email to the whole studio acknowledging the raised issues and promising further discussion at an all-hands meeting next week. Here’s an excerpt: pic.twitter.com/CxFQpkDzsa
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 4, 2019
The full transcript of the email was then posted later by Schreier [via Kotaku]. In the email, Hudson echoes many of the sentiments of BioWare’s initial response to the story. The BioWare GM states “these problems are real and it’s our top priority to continue working to solve them.” Hudson adds “When I was offered the opportunity to return to BioWare as GM, I came into the role knowing the studio was experiencing significant challenges … I was – and continue to be – excited to help drive improvements … because I love this studio, and above all I want to create a place where all of you are happy and successful.”
Hudson then takes aim at the article in question. BioWare’s initial response stated, “We don’t see the value in tearing down one another, or one another’s work.” In the same vein, Hudson wrote, “What we found out-of-bounds was the naming of specific developers as targets for public criticism. It’s unfair and extremely traumatizing to single out people in this way, and we can’t accept that treatment towards any of our staff.”
Schreier was quick to respond to these accusations:
It’s weird that they’re doubling down on this – it’s a response to what they thought the article was going to be, not what was actually published. (I had told them that the article wouldn’t look good for leadership and that I really wanted to interview them/get their perspective)
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) April 4, 2019
Following addressing the article itself, Hudson moves onto critiquing his own performance. “I’m not going to tell you I’ve done a good job at that, and on a day like today I certainly feel like I haven’t.” Hudson then points to changes the studio has made since his return to improve working practices. BioWare has aimed for a “more focused studio mission” and “values” as well as creating a “matrix” which allows department directors to focus on individual support. Hudson states these changes have been made with the aim to “further relieve pressure and anxiety.”
The email concludes with the BioWare GM inviting employees to give feedback and to contact him if they’d like to speak directly.
Anthem has had a rocky road since its release. The GameRevolution review scored BioWare’s looter shooter a 2.5. Along with the gameplay quality, the game has had a ton of technical issues. Casey Hudson himself recently wrote a blog post about the “rougher launch” than expected. One of the more startling issues was the game causing PlayStation 4 consoles to experience a shutdown crash.
