BioWare boss Aaryn Flynn quits, just months after Mass Effect Andromeda launch
Series' former director Casey Hudson returns.
BioWare's general manager Aaryn Flynn is leaving the acclaimed RPG studio after 17 years with the company.
His departure comes roughly four months after the launch of Mass Effect Andromeda, a game that debuted to lackluster sales and disappointing critical reception. Our Edwin Evans-Thirlwell called it "probably BioWare's worst RPG yet" in his review, and the tepid reaction to the game has put the sci-fi series "on ice".
Interestingly, Flynn's role will be replaced by the Mass Effect series' project director Casey Hudson, who left the company back in 2014 and accepted a position as project director at Microsoft Studios the following year, where he was to work on HoloLens projects.
According to Flynn's resignation letter, he only decided to step away from BioWare once Hudson had expressed interest in returning.
"I have been contemplating changes in my own life for some time, but when I heard that Casey had confirmed he was up for the task, I realised the opportunities before us," Flynn said. "I will be working with him over the next couple of weeks to help catch him up and do my part to set him up for success to be the best GM he can be."
One good thing about Hudson's return is that the studio's upcoming new IP, Anthem, was originally Hudson's baby. As far back as 2012 Hudson and his team were in the process of envisioning this new series - one that wouldn't be properly revealed for another five years.
Flynn worked on a great many games in his 17-year tenure at BioWare. Aside from Andromeda, Flynn was general manager during the development of Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect 3, and Dragon Age 2. Prior to that, he was the director of programming on Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins.
In his parting words, Flynn wanted to thank the studio's fans for giving him the opportunity to work on all the games he's been attached to over the years. "Doing whatever I could to help our developers create some of the best games in the industry for you all has been the most humbling experience of my life," Flynn reflected. "Now, I'll be playing BioWare's games in the future from an exciting new perspective."