Mass Effect Dev BioWare Resented Its Writers, Says David Gaider

Mass Effect and Dragon Age studio BioWare has been accused of “quietly resenting” its writers by none other than former Dragon Age narrative lead, David Gaider. Gaider made this comment as part of his statement on the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. The dispute stems from disagreements between writers and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers over financial compensation from streaming media.

A number of Mass Effect and Dragon Age devs have left BioWare in recent years

Gaider, who served BioWare for nearly 17 years before resigning in 2016, is of the view that game studios often undervalue writers. He also claims that those looking to join the industry often have similar attitudes in that they attempt to settle for writing roles if they don’t possess any other development skills.

“Even BioWare, which built its success on a reputation for good stories and characters, slowly turned from a company that vocally valued its writers to one where we were… quietly resented,” Gaider added.

BioWare’s fall from grace began with the release of Mass Effect Andromeda, with the studio hitting a particularly rough patch following Anthem‘s failure. BioWare saw a number of high-profile departures, leading to general manager Gary McKay promising to rebuild the company’s reputation.