Mass Effect: Andromeda‘s lead writer Chris Schlerf has announced that he has left Bioware and has joined developer Bungie to work on Destiny.
Schlerf confirmed this through a group of tweets detailing his news and reasons for leaving Bioware:
To confirm what some folks asked about a few months back, I am no longer working on ME:A at BioWare Montreal.
— schlerf (@schlerf) February 16, 2016
The immediate reaction for many would be to call into question the direction and development of Andromeda, but Scherf was quick to dispel any rumors of bad feelings:
Think MEA is really gonna blow people away; couldn't be prouder to be part of it, & excited like a lil kid to play the final when it's out.
— schlerf (@schlerf) February 16, 2016
And for those wondering what possesses an individual to leave such a highly-regarded company like Bioware, it looks like Chris Schlerf has some stories to tell in the Destiny universe:
All that said, very happy to be back in Seattle, working with this scrappy little company called Bungie that some of you may have heard of.
— schlerf (@schlerf) February 16, 2016
Think we might have some interesting stories to tell…
— schlerf (@schlerf) February 16, 2016
A Cause for Concern?
Schlerf isn’t the only person to leave Bioware recently. In January, writer David Gaider announced that he was leaving Bioware after 17 years. A month earlier, the senior development director on Mass Effect: Andromeda Chris Wynn confirmed that he was leaving Bioware and moving back to the USA.
Despite this recent news of a few individuals leaving Bioware, there really haven’t been any indicators that Andromeda is suffering from a bitter staff.
What’s more likely is that these are some highly sought after talents and they simple received better offers from other developers who have stories or games they felt they could better contribute to. In David Gaider’s case, he had been with Bioware for 17 years. Perhaps he just wanted a change.
As time goes on and certainly when we finally get our hands on Mass Effect: Andromeda, we’ll have a better idea whether the game suffered at all.
Do you think this news is a cause for concern or just drama-less instance of individuals seezing new opportunities for themselves? Let us know in the comments below!