Announced today via a press release on the company's site, BioWare General Manager Casey Hudson and Executive Producer of Dragon Age Mark Darrah are leaving the studio. The developers were notable figures at BioWare and associated heavily with its biggest IPs, with Chief Studios Officer Laura Miele claiming in a statement that both will be remembered as "an essential part of the studio’s history."

According to Miele, the decision will not affect the current lineup of games in development at BioWare, with the likes of Mass Effect: The Legendary Edition and the newest entry in the Dragon Age series set to continue as planned. With their departure, Samantha Ryan, former senior vice president of production and development for Warner Bros Games, will be overseeing the studio, while Christian Dailey will be taking an executive producer slot on Dragon Age.

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According to Miele, the search is now on to fill Casey Hudson's vacant slot as general manager, with the chief studios officer claiming the goal is to find someone who "embodies the values of this team and who will help carry on the incredible legacy of BioWare." Both men have had lengthy stints working alongside BioWare, spearheading some of the company's biggest games.

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Casey Hudson is likely best known for serving as creative director on the Mass Effect trilogy and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, leading the charge on developing both sci-fi RPGs. He originally departed the studio back in 2014, announcing in 2015 that he would work alongside Microsoft on the Hololens. He later returned to the company in 2017 when BioWare's former GM Aaryn Flynn vacated his position. Hudson's work on Mass Effect and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic has forever cemented the developer as a significant name in the RPG genre.

Meanwhile, Mark Darrah has been a significant part of the Dragon Age franchise since it first debuted back in 2009. Acting as an executive producer for Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Anthemhe's been one of the biggest names involved with the company for years and a huge asset for the studio's seminal fantasy RPG franchise. Much like Hudson, he was an essential part of BioWare's history and will surely move onto some exciting projects in the future.

Hudson and Darrah will be leaving behind some huge projects still to come in BioWare's future, with the eagerly awaited Mass Effect: Legendary Edition set to launch next year and the fourth Dragon Age game primed to reignite the popular fantasy series in the near future. There also appears to be a fifth entry in the Mass Effect franchise in the works, although it is currently in the very early stages of development.

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Source: BioWare