Mass Effect 3

BioWare GM Casey Hudson and Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah have announced they'll be departing.

Hudson worked on The Knights of the Old Republic and was also the co-creator of Mass Effect. He's been with BioWare for nearly 20 years now, apart from a short stint with Microsoft. His plan is to try something different, although, he's unsure exactly what that is just yet but believes he leaves the studio in a good state.

"It’s not an easy decision to make, and big changes like this always come with a certain degree of sadness. I will miss being able to work every day with our inspiring developers on the biggest and most exciting projects I can imagine. But I also know that this is a good time for a change, for both myself and BioWare."

"as BioWare celebrates its 25th anniversary, the studio is poised for an exciting new era of amazing games"

Mark Darrah is also a veteran of the studio, having led programming on series like Baldur's Gate and eventually moving on to the Dragon Age series. Here's what he had to say in his own message:

"This has been a very difficult decision for me. The team of amazing developers on Dragon Age, make my life fuller and better. They have taught me so much. But the strength of the team is also what makes this possible. I know that Dragon Age won’t just survive without me, it will thrive."

Gary McKay will take over as interim studio GM, while Chistian Daily - a "driving force for Bioware as studio director for BioWare Austin" will be taking over the role of Dragon Age's Executive Producer.

BioWare's upcoming releases include Mass Effect Legendary Edition, Dragon Age 4 and the next chapter in the Mass Effect series.

[source blog.bioware.com, via eurogamer.net]