Bioware General Manager Aaryn Flynn Departs, Replaced By Casey Hudson

[ffronw]

Bioware General Manager Aaryn Flynn Departs, Replaced By Casey Hudson

//cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/1418/1418978.jpgBioware GM Aaryn Flynn is leaving the company after 17 years, and former Mass Effect project director Casey Hudson is returning to fill that role.

There's some surprising news from Bioware today. Longtime fixture Aaryn Flynn, who is currently serving a General Manager of the company, has announced that he's leaving the company after 17 years. While that news does come as a bit of a shock, that's not the only surprise. Flynn's replacement as General Manager is none other than Casey Hudson, the former project director for the Mass Effect series who left the company three years ago [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/136712-Mass-Effects-Casey-Hudson-Will-Leave-BioWare].

In a post on the Bioware blog, Flynn wrote [http://blog.bioware.com/2017/07/18/thank-you-for-everything/],

"I have been contemplating changes in my own life for some time, but when I heard that Casey [Hudson] had confirmed he was up for the task, I realized the opportunities before us. 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."

Hudson also wrote a blog post today titled "Coming Home [http://blog.bioware.com/2017/07/18/coming-home/]." In it, he says, "I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to return to lead BioWare - a studio that I think of as home."

Hudson returns to the company that finds itself at a crossroads. After the less-that-stellar reception that Mass Effect: Andromeda received, and rumors that the recently-announced Anthem [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/170667-Rumor-No-Single-Player-DLC-Coming-for-Mass-Effect-Andromeda] to help right the ship.

Just how Bioware goes forward under Hudson's leadership remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: gamers will be keeping a weather eye on Anthem's progress.

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[Jacked Assassin]

I'm more interested in any official news about (the death of) ME:A than Anthem.

 

[StatusNil]

Good, keeps him from screwing over other companies. Now they just have to watch out for this Flynn character.

one thing is certain: gamers will be keeping a weather eye on Anthem's progress.

Always pleased to see an expression like "weather eye" in use. Maybe that's just me, though.

 

[TilMorrow]

I'm more interested in any official news about (the death of) ME:A than Anthem.

It's pretty dead, the "Bioware" Skeleton Crew that they have working on it seems to have been given the sole task of polishing the game up about three months too late (e.g. fixing the dumb facial expressions and bad lip syncing, restructuring the faces so that they look more human, fixing up a number of notable bugs and cinematic errors/removing certain scenes to get rid of how terrible they looked re: Ryder's giraffe neck) and they apparently have no plans of doing any single player dlc content. Multiplayer on the other hand...

 

[RobertEHouse]

Bioware, what is this Bioware you speak of? o.... right they used to make great games.

I thought they officially decided after ME:A to move into making IKEA furniture in the future. Or was i mistaken to think that code name Anthem was some type of storage center?



Either way, it's great to see them deciding to manufacture anything after they took a several million dollar IP and destroyed it. Yes, EA helped but Bioware was the one that decided to jump on the EA train long ago. Hopefully they can correct the mistakes of the past and make something that is more believable then ME:A was as a 60 dollar game.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Maxis
Bullfrog
Origin
Westwood

... Bioware?

Has the end begun for Bioware? Are they one failure away from getting the plug pulled by their corporate overlords?
Obligatory gloom and doomsaying? Ensuing inflammatory bitching, bickering and pointless internet drama?

Find out on the next exciting episode of Electronic Arts!

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

This [http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,27168/] is hopefully an accurate list of his credits with BioWare.

Can't say 'sad to see him go', nor can I say 'good riddance' as I've no idea precisely what he's responsible for across their games. Eschewing the inane hyperbole that tends to surround discussion of BioWare on this site (or most nerdy sites, perhaps?), I'd say he's probably contributed both positively and negatively over the years. I hope he does well in his next job.

Regardless, despite a few major hitches along the way (DAII's ambition being hampered by an appallingly quick turnaround, the reaction to ME3's end - neither the 'fans' or the staff who initially spoke out came out of that debacle well - DA:I's misguided SP MMO design coupled with a largely inert main plot, and clearly ME:A's lack of initial direction which hurt the overall production [despite it ending up an excellent game, all in all]) he's been part of a superb era of game design from Jade Empire onward.

It seems Hudson's last game with BioWare was ME3, and apart from the rushed initial ending that was phenomenal (found the War War War focus boring, but it was well presented at least). So, er, kinda business as usual, more or less? I hope ME:A's story gets a continuation, as they set up some great ideas with a lot of potential. I found Ryder a far more engaging and interesting POV than Shepard ever was, and I want to see one obvious familial plot point resolved/explored.

Maxis
Bullfrog
Origin
Westwood

... Bioware?

Has the end begun for Bioware? Are they one failure away from getting the plug pulled by their corporate overlords?
Obligatory gloom and doomsaying? Ensuing inflammatory bitching, bickering and pointless internet drama?

Find out on the next exciting episode of Electronic Arts!

You do realise who they're appointing, right? It's not as if BioWare are being gutted and shuttered; they're replacing one experienced staffer with another. Even if I loved DAII, eventually got on okay with DA:I and enjoyed ME:A, Hudson in the eyes of the whiners would be far less tarnished by association by having skipped out on those releases. Well, unless they're still all cut up about the ME3 ending... which they probably are.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I haven't played a Bioware game since, like, DA:O so whatever. I can't even afford AAA games right now anyway (80 CND dollars??? Go to hell!!).

 

[Callate]

It's a slightly less hubristic move that Mattrick thinking he'd come on board and "right the ship" with Zynga, but I don't really think it's likely to be much more effective.

 

[Gennadios]

Casey Hudson wasn't the Golden Age of BioWare, he was just there for the beginning of the end. They'd need to dig alot deeper for a reaction more involved than "meh."