Employees and developers leaving studios is far from an uncommon occurrence in the games industry, but BioWare has just lost one of its longest-serving and most prominent talents. Veteran writer Mac Walters has announced that he is no longer working at the studio.
Walters made the announcement in a recent LinkedIn post, confirming that after over 19 years at BioWare, he is no longer at the studio, with his profile stating that he is currently on a “career break”, rather than having joined another studio.
“These past 19 years have been a life-changing experience to say the least, and it made the choice to go very difficult,” he wrote. “I’ve worked with so many wonderful people and had the privilege to be a part of the most amazing teams and projects. It’s hard to fathom it all, and I know I’ll be reflecting on it for years to come.”
Walters has had an instrumental role to play in a number of BioWare’s biggest projects over the last two decades. His work is, of course, most prominently associated with the Mass Effect franchise, having served as a senior writer on the original game, as the lead writer on Mass Effect 2 and 3, and as the creative director on Mass Effect: Andromeda, before before also serving as project director on Mass Effect: Legendary Edition. He has also written number of Mass Effect comics and novels. That said, he wasn’t involved in the next mainline Mass Effect title’s production.
Beyond Mass Effect, Walters also worked as a writer on Jade Empire, the narrative director on Anthem, and most recently, served as production director on the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf.