The Dawn Will Come

Today, December 3, 2020, Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah have announced their retirement from BioWare.

Casey Hudson has almost 20 years of work under his belt with the studio; He is well known as the game director of the insanely popular Mass Effect series. Mark Darrah is the executive producer for Dragon Age, another franchise that has captivated fans for years, leaving us eagerly awaiting the next title.

Casey Hudson

Those of you who follow Casey Hudson are aware that he left BioWare in 2014. A year later, he began to work with Microsoft Studios as a creative director, working on the HoloLens and Xbox games. He returned to BioWare in 2017 as the studio’s general manager.

Casey Hudson had this to say about his retirement:

“I’m incredibly fortunate to have had a career where I’ve been able to work with brilliantly talented people, create entire worlds from our imaginations, and see them being enjoyed by millions of people around the world. And now, after nearly 20 years of work at BioWare, I’ve made the decision to retire from the studio and make way for the next generation of studio leaders.”

Mark Darrah

Mark Darrah served as a producer on Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II, and Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker. Other titles include Requiem (a game I’m unfamiliar with) and the widely panned Anthem. Regardless, we won’t forget his contribution to BioWare.

“I have been at BioWare since the 90s,” the blog post reads. “Back when CRPGs were considered a dead genre. Through the last 23 years, I have watched video games evolve and grow into a truly powerful communication medium. We are an important part of so many people’s lives. And BioWare has been a part of this journey. Though I remain confident in BioWare’s strength and continued place in this conversation, I have decided to retire from my position at BioWare.”

Eyes on the future

Where does this leave Bioware? EA announced that all ongoing projects will continue as planned as they seek leadership replacements. Samantha Ryan is going to oversee the studio. Christian Dailey, a former blizzard employee, is taking control of the Dragon Age project as executive producer. Matthew Goldman maintains his creative directing duties.

Mike Gamble and the team are still working on the future of Mass Effect. As far as a GM goes, Gary Mckay, senior director of development operations, will step up as interim Studio GM.

While this is sad news, it’s a relief to hear that much-anticipated sequels are still underway. At least, that’s how it seems; Both Hudson and Darrah maintain that this is retirement.

Theirs is a mark on the industry that will not be soon forgotten.