Casey Hudson takes over BioWare

[LESS T_T]

Bioware General Manager Aaryn Flynn resigns, and Casey Hudson returns to Bioware to takes his role:

http://blog.bioware.com/2017/07/18/thank-you-for-everything/

Thank You For Everything

From Aaryn Flynn, General Manager of BioWare

After 17 years with BioWare, today I announced that I’ll be leaving the studio at the end of July, and that Casey Hudson is returning to Edmonton to take on the role of General Manager for BioWare.

I joined BioWare in Edmonton right out of University. I was privileged to get a chance to join a group of people working on the coolest, most creative things I could imagine. Growing up at BioWare, the events in my life are intimately intertwined with events at the studio. I got married just after we finished Neverwinter Nights. My first son was born while we were wrapping up Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, while my second son was born right after Jade Empire.

From my first day until now, I have learned much, met great colleagues and friends, and got the chance to help give players some truly incredible experiences. Every time I think I’ve found a favourite game making experience, we start something new and somehow find fun and satisfaction in the new challenges.

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. 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.

In closing, 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. Now, I’ll be playing BioWare’s games in the future from an exciting new perspective – yours

Aaryn

http://blog.bioware.com/2017/07/18/coming-home/

Coming Home

From Casey Hudson, Incoming General Manager of BioWare

Almost twenty years ago, I decided to apply for a job as a technical artist at a local video game company in Edmonton. Young, and fresh out of University, I’m not sure what I expected it to lead to. But it was the beginning of a career full of experiences and shared accomplishments I never could have dreamed of. So when I left BioWare three years ago, it was the most difficult decision of my career. I needed some time off, needed a bit of change, and wanted to get involved in the new wave of disruptive technologies that were emerging.

The last few years have been transformative for me, from having time to reflect on what I most want to do, to working with new technologies at platform scale. And now, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to return to lead BioWare – a studio that I think of as home.

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.

I think I speak for everyone who has worked with Aaryn – and our fans – when I say thank you for everything. BioWare continues to hold a special magic – full of profoundly talented people, and an inspiring creative energy. When I look at the stunning progress Aaryn and the team has made with Anthem, and the other projects in the works, I truly believe our best is yet to come.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

http://blog.bioware.com/2017/07/18/coming-home/

Coming Home
by Author - BioWarePosted on - July 18, 2017

From Casey Hudson, Incoming General Manager of BioWare

Almost twenty years ago, I decided to apply for a job as a technical artist at a local video game company in Edmonton. Young, and fresh out of University, I’m not sure what I expected it to lead to. But it was the beginning of a career full of experiences and shared accomplishments I never could have dreamed of. So when I left BioWare three years ago, it was the most difficult decision of my career. I needed some time off, needed a bit of change, and wanted to get involved in the new wave of disruptive technologies that were emerging.

The last few years have been transformative for me, from having time to reflect on what I most want to do, to working with new technologies at platform scale. And now, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to return to lead BioWare – a studio that I think of as home.

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.

I think I speak for everyone who has worked with Aaryn – and our fans – when I say thank you for everything. BioWare continues to hold a special magic – full of profoundly talented people, and an inspiring creative energy. When I look at the stunning progress Aaryn and the team has made with Anthem, and the other projects in the works, I truly believe our best is yet to come.

TL;DR

Casey Hudon returns to Bioware to replace Aaryn Flynn as General Manager.

 

[Rahdulan]

I cannot think of a worse re-hire, PR-wise at least.

 

[Tytus]

Coming Home
by Author -Casey HudsonPosted on - July 18, 2017

From Casey Hudson, Incoming General Manager of BioWare

Almost twenty years ago, I decided to apply for a job as a technical artist at a local video game company in Edmonton. Young, and fresh out of University, I’m not sure what I expected it to lead to. But it was the beginning of a career full of experiences and shared accomplishments I never could have dreamed of. So when I left BioWare three years ago, it was the most difficult decision of my career. I needed some time off, needed a bit of change, and wanted to get involved in the new wave of disruptive technologies that were emerging.

The last few years have been transformative for me, from having time to reflect on what I most want to do, to working with new technologies at platform scale. And now, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to return to lead BioWare – a studio that I think of as home.

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.

I think I speak for everyone who has worked with Aaryn – and our fans – when I say thank you for everything. BioWare continues to hold a special magic – full of profoundly talented people, and an inspiring creative energy. When I look at the stunning progress Aaryn and the team has made with Anthem, and the other projects in the works, I truly believe our best is yet to come.

It seems that after failing to find succes in other venues (Microsoft) Casey Hudson is coming back to Bioware with his tail between his legs.

 

[ilitarist]

He was in charge of Mass Effect, wasn't he?

I think BioWare now has a history of famous DLCs. Mass Effect 2 Lair of the Shadow Broker, Mass Effect 3 Citadel and Dragon Age Inquisition Trespasser (and maybe Descent) were all praised as the best chunks of those games. And... Those DLCs were full of fanservice and linear progression. Less gameplay, more story. If BioWare are smart they are already preparing DLC for Andromeda with Hudson's name on it as a colsuntant or something. So that fans eat whatever set of cutscenes BioWare creates as a DLC and praise the game.

I find it sad. Because, believe it or not, I think BioWare really tries to make games themselves better by giving fans what they need instead of what they want. ME3, DAI and MEA were progressively more complex games with interesting mechanics. DAI is the first game from BioWare with a nice difficulty curve and meaningful hard mode (maybe Jade Empire had it but I played it long time ago). DAI was cluncky with it's open world sidequesting but MEA is a noticeable improvement. Still BioWare has a fame of a storyteller and that's what people expect, so they try to sell stories as a gateway drug into the gameplay and into the multiplayer. I sincerely hope they would manage to change people's mind on Mass Effect Andromeda by throwing a story DLC at people and make them notice that it also comes packaged with an actual game unlike their favourite Mass Effect 2.

 

[yes plz]

Mass Effect and Dragon Age studio BioWare has announced Aaryn Flynn, general manager of its Edmonton-based studio, will be leaving. Casey Hudson, who initially left BioWare in August 2014, will return to take up the position as his replacement.

In a post on the BioWare Blog, Flynn confirmed he will be "working with [Hudson] 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," before leaving at the end of July.

"The last few years have been transformative for me, from having time to reflect on what I most want to do, to working with new technologies at platform scale," Hudson said in a separate blog post. "And now, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to return to lead BioWare--a studio that I think of as home."

Flynn has been involved in all of BioWare's major games, including Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and Jade Empire. While Hudson also worked on these games, he is known widely for serving as director of the first three Mass Effect games.

Flynn's departure and Hudson's return comes amidst reports that BioWare is putting the Mass Effect series on "hiatus," following the somewhat underwhelming response to Mass Effect: Andromeda.

Further reports have indicated that a small team is now working on Andromeda to push out fixes and support its multiplayer portion. However, many developers from BioWare Montreal, which led development on Andromeda, have moved on to other projects. Some are now believed to be at EA Motive, which is contributing to the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront II (as well as another project that won't be out until at least 2018, if not later).

BioWare Edmonton, meanwhile, has unveiled its new IP, Anthem, which is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in 2018. Gameplay of Anthem was shown during E3 2017, and it was previously described as an action IP "built around a live service" that features a "disruptive new social design."

- via Gamespot

 

[imweasel]

So EA finally realized that they needed to fire Aaron Flynn for being a major fuck up.

I wonder if Beamdog will hire him...

 

[taxalot]

So nothing is changing at all in the grand and minor schemes of things.

Call me when Frasier joins Beamdog so we can all have fun discussing if this is an improvement or not. This news touches one of my balls without making the other move, as we say around here.

 

[Atlantico]

Aaryn Flynn has made Bioware the company it is today. So of course he had to go. Replacing him with Hudson won't solve anything by itself, it's still the company Aaryn Flynn made. If Hudson can make any meaningful changes, it will still take years to weed out the SJWtards and beta-males out of Bioware.

I'm not optimistic, but I admit I like seeing Aaryn Flynn fired for the hack that he is.

 

[oldmanpaco]

Aaryn Flynn has made Bioware the company it is today.

How long has he been in charge?

 

[Atlantico]

How long has he been in charge?

Since 2009, according to the Linkedin page, he's been been the General Manager of the Edmonton studio and since 2015 he's been GM of Bioware (as a whole).

 

[DemonKing]

I thought the rats usually leave a sinking ship rather than boarding it...

MEA sales must have been even direr than first thought for the GM to get the boot and Hudson to get an SOS.

 

[LESS T_T]

inb4 Aaryn Flynn joins Beamdog

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Everyone sensible left long ago. I think it especially went to shit when the doctors left.

 

[Nutria]

Now that they've put Mass Effect on ice, I was wondering if EA would have them phase out RPGs altogether in favor of stuff like Anthem. But if they're bringing back Hudson then maybe they're at least trying to keep some vestiges of the old Bioware intact. Either way, I doubt they're ever going to make another game that I'm interested in.

 

[Neanderthal]

In other news local pig farm re hired their old shit shoveller an sacked new un.

 

[Cyberarmy]

 

[Nerevar]

Just let Bioware die. They haven't made anything good since NWN.

 

[Jedi Exile]

So if Casey helped design Anthem, the direction of BioWare under him as GM is clear - the last RPG vestiges will be cut and they will make pure action games.

 

[Fedora Master]

Just let Bioware die. They haven't made anything good since NWN.

The studio exists in name only at this point anyway.

 

[Nutria]

Just let Bioware die. They haven't made anything good since NWN.

I would argue with you about when that exact moment happened, but it really doesn't matter. They've been dead to all of us for years now. There's nothing left to us except to pour out a 40 over the body of our old friend.

 

[Darth Roxor]

 

[Humanity has risen!]

The thing is that Edmonton is a town full of decent, straightforward people who are honest, direct and very hard working. Bioware seems to be a place now where the SJW weirdos take refuge in.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

Wasn't this the "Mass Effect 3's ending isn't deep enough" guy who changed the whole thing ~8 months before release?

 

[Fedora Master]

I think the reason was the ending was "too videogame-y".