Recent layoffs at BioWare, developer of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, have sparked industry-wide conversations. Larian Studios' publishing director, Michael Daus, weighed in on social media, emphasizing the importance of valuing employees and holding leadership accountable for layoffs.
Daus argues that significant team reductions between or after projects are avoidable. He stresses the critical role of retaining institutional knowledge for future projects. While acknowledging that financial pressures might necessitate "trimming the fat," he questions the aggressive efficiency strategies of large corporations, suggesting they are ultimately counterproductive except in cases of consistently successful releases. Layoffs, he points out, are a drastic cost-cutting measure, not a solution.
Daus concludes that the core problem lies in upper management's strategies, where those at the bottom invariably bear the brunt of the consequences. He uses the analogy of a pirate ship, where the captain would be the first to be sacrificed, suggesting that the video game industry should adopt a similar approach to accountability.
