Layoffs at BioWare Austin affect Star Wars: The Old Republic

‘Restructuring’; a word that strikes fear in any employee below a managerial position. Unfortunately for staff working on Star Wars: The Old Republic, it’s their turn to experience first-hand the instability of the modern workforce.
Publisher Electronic Arts has released a statement which reads: “BioWare has restructured its studio in Austin today. Of the employees impacted, some will be able to join other projects within EA, others will leave the company. These are very difficult decisions, but it allows us to focus our staff to maintain and grow Star Wars: The Old Republic.”
Only in the word of business can you pretend that reduced staff numbers (a direct result of falling subscriber numbers) are actually a healthy sign for the future.
A further statement was posted up at the Old Republic forums by BioWare’s Greg Zeschuk. This one focuses on what he feels the game achieved (“We executed one of the largest, most successful and stable launches of any MMO yet in industry history”) and has some consoling words for the “talented, passionate and exceptionally hard-working people who helped make SWTOR a reality”.
Who exactly has been laid off is not clear. Zeschuk’s statement indicates members of the development team, but given the falling subscriber numbers the newly-redundant may well include a few of the support staff.
Source: swtor.com