Shockwaves in the Gaming Industry: Massive Layoffs Hit Unionized QA Team at Dragon Age: Dreadwolf

Highlights

The unionized quality assurance testers working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf have been laid off, raising concerns over employment standards and severance.

The decline of unions in North America stands in stark contrast to the growing efforts to unionize within the gaming industry, marked by the formation of the first games industry union in North America in 2021. This trend is further underscored by a lawsuit filed by former employees of BioWare, accusing the company of wrongful termination, and the recent wave of layoffs within the company, shedding light on the precarious nature of job security and labor rights in the gaming industry.

All quality assurance testers who were members of the union working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf have been laid off. The QA team for the fourth installment of the Dragon Age game series formed Canada's first games industry union in mid-2022.

The popularity of unions in North America has been steadily declining since the 1950s. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 11.3% of workers in the United States were represented by a union in 2022, a decrease of 0.3% compared to the previous year. In Canada, the percentage of unionized workers currently stands at 29%, marking a decline of 9 points since the early 1980s. Although game developers did not have the opportunity to experience the heyday of organized labor due to their nonexistence at the time, there has been a recent increase in unionization efforts within the industry. A significant milestone in this regard was the establishment of North America's first games industry union in late 2021.

However, labor organization efforts in the gaming industry have faced challenges and setbacks. Keywords Studios, a Dublin-based developer previously involved in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, recently experienced such a setback. When BioWare Edmonton decided not to renew Keywords' contract in August, the Irish studio laid off its entire staff that worked on testing the upcoming game. Liz Corless, Keywords Studios' Global Head of Marketing, confirmed this in a statement to Polygon, stating that 13 employees from the QA team in Edmonton were laid off. The cuts took place on September 27 and were a result of BioWare not extending Keywords' contract. However, the fact that all unionized QA workers were laid off upon expiration of the initial commitment raised concerns among the affected staff. In early October, the union filed a complaint against Keywords Studios, challenging the "minimal severance" offered. This action coincides with a lawsuit filed by seven former BioWare employees against the EA subsidiary, accusing wrongful termination.

The litigation is a result of layoffs that occurred in August at BioWare, where approximately 50 employees were let go. These redundancies were announced by BioWare General Manager Gary McKay, following similar workforce reductions at Electronic Arts. McKay did not provide specific details about the teams affected by the layoffs but has emphasized the company's commitment to providing the best experience with the fourth installment of the Dragon Age franchise. In addition to Dreadwolf, BioWare is currently working on a new Mass Effect game, which is in the pre-production stage. Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is being developed for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Statistics Canada