Deus Ex-skaparen är hårt kritisk mot EA efter Bioware-nedläggningen

"So 400 people at BioWare are gone. Out in the cold with so many others. I try very hard not to curse at any time but especially in public. Unfortunately for my vocabulary and the delicate sensibilities of some who read this I can’t control myself. Hell, I don’t want to control myself. BioWare is more than just another studio. For decades it’s played a central role in the history of our medium. They, for many years, as effectively as any studio, married art and commerce. Their work changed things.

Now comes the cursing. Cover your eyes if you must. This is such bad news, such a devastating historic event all I can say is that it’s utter bullshit. Anyone who participated in this travesty should be ashamed. Actually, maybe all of the people who participated — the folks in suits (real or virtual) should lose their damn jobs. I ask them to ponder this: What do you contribute to gaming? What price do you pay for failure? I’d love to see THEM on the unemployment line instead of the people who do real work. Why is it always the do-ers and makers who pay the price? Someone explain that to me! I wish I had more curse words."

"I recently posted my thoughts about EA’s shuttering of BioWare. Those of you who read my post know that I was unhappy. I remain so. The tragedy of so many layoffs the last few years hasn’t been lost on me, but for some reason, BioWare hit me on an emotional level that nothing had before. I felt gut-punched.

But some of you responded that shutting down a studio like Bioware was a sound business decision. You said that the studio’s glory days (artistic and commercial) were behind them. And businesses don’t succeed on history alone. Fair enough. But those folks clearly didn’t read my whole screed. Near the end I expressed that I was incensed that the business people who make the decisions that lead to studio closures — ALL of them, not just Bioware — never seem to pay a price.

If studio-level people leave, resulting in dilution of talent, someone is creating an environment that pushes them out. Do those culture-killers pay any price? If executives misread the market, over-hire, or make decisions that result in under-funded, over-funded, poorly-marketed games do they lose sleep let alone jobs? Do those same executives suffer like developers when the needs of financial partners and private investors take precedence over the people who actually create value, let alone over the interests of players? Does anyone up there in or adjacent to the C-suite care?

Is there ANY accountability left in this world?

Obviously not. At EA alone Andrew Wilson still makes his $38.65 million; Laura Miele, $13.7 million; Stuart Canfield, $11.3 million; Jake Schatz, $8.4 million; Mala Singh, $8.3 million. Tens of thousands of do-ers and makers are out of work and these people think they're worth that kind of compensation? And if you think this is a discussion about "sound business decisions" I hope you never get anywhere near running a business. Or at least that people have the sense not to go work for you."