Though publisher Electronic Arts has stated how happy it is with Bioware Montreal, the studio that developed Mass Effect: Andromeda, resources from the studio have been shifted elsewhere since launch.
According to Kotaku’s Jason Schreier who cited different sources close to the company, Mass Effect is currently on hiatus. Bioware Montreal employees were shifted to EA Motive to work on Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Bioware’s new IP (which has since been delayed). The main developer is now support-oriented and is focused on patching Mass Effect: Andromeda’s multiplayer.
It’s interesting to note that Bioware in Edmonton is currently responsible for the new IP, codenamed Dylan, with Bioware Austin assisting. When contacted for comment, BioWare Montreal studio director Yanick Roy said, “Our teams at BioWare and across EA put in tremendous effort bringing Mass Effect Andromeda to players around the world. Even as BioWare continues to focus on the Mass Effect Andromeda community and live service, we are constantly looking at how we’re prepared for the next experiences we will create.
“The teams in EA Worldwide Studios are packed with talent, and more than ever, we are driving collaboration between studios on key projects. With our BioWare and Motive teams sharing studio space in Montreal, we have BioWare team members joining Motive projects that are underway. We’re also ramping up teams on other BioWare projects in development. There will be much more to come from BioWare in the years ahead.”
However, for the time being, Mass Effect will not be one of those things. Employees shifts, especially between studios, is a given under larger publishers but what are your thoughts on the franchise apparently being on ice? Let us know below.