Surprise! I was Endymion's source... and there's a LOT more that he DIDN'T tell you about how BioWare is discriminating against men and hiring only ideological conformists: Per my source - The situation at BioWare is DIRE...
For those who saw Endymion’s take on this situation in his recent video, it’s worth clarifying that I was his original source, because there was initially some confusion on his part surrounding it. Out of respect, Endymion initially held back on crediting me thinking that I didn't want to be mentioned for some reason - I let him know that it was my source kept private, not me. Endymion’s discretion here was appreciated, as the focus here remains entirely on the story and the dire situation within BioWare rather than any kind of personal credit. I just wanted to clarify as I'm sure there'd be some people calling me out for taking his story or something like that...
But hold on to your butts, this story goes far deeper than what you've heard...
An employee at BioWare reached out to me via DM from their official Twitter account, and I could confirm from it they were exactly who they claimed to be. From that we scheduled a phone call. A call that ended up lasting nearly an hour long. His voice was a mix of frustration and despair. They wanted to talk to me more about the situation going on at BioWare right now because he felt helpless to fight back alone. From what he told me about BioWare today, it paints a dire picture of what it's like behind the scenes, claiming that the company is intentionally discriminating against men and selectively hiring individuals who parrot and embrace the ideology that the higher-ups demand. He personally reached out to me after watching my videos, and he emphasized the importance of speaking out against what he referred to as the "woke virus" that’s run amuck, infecting the entire gaming industry. Promoting liberal white, typically trans or queer women, and holding down ANYONE else everywhere...
This insider disclosed that BioWare’s corporate culture has become more woke than anyone could possibly imagine right now. According to him, the identity politics at play within the company are more intense than any current level of public perception suggests, and it's now reached a point where BioWare themselves is singularly focused on hiring based on gender and ideological compliance. He stated that men are excluded entirely from the conversations unless they identify as some form of non-traditional gender or orientation. At BioWare, as I was told, they're ONLY interested in hiring people they can control within the company. They want what can only be considered cultists—people who parrot and embrace the exact same ideology that the higher-ups at BioWare demand. Have a thought on a different direction to go? Question a female voice? Step out of the proverbial 'line'? you're OUT.
So much for that 'diversity' thing... right?
The atmosphere at BioWare, he continued, has grown more extreme since Corinne Busche took the directorial helm for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. According to my source, Busche’s leadership style marked a huge change in atmosphere, giving preference to anyone who identifies as gender non-conforming. It intensified the focus further on ideological adherence over merit and talent. This shift has, according to him, deteriorated the studio’s environment and completely eroded BioWare's once-prestigious reputation in the industry. One he has been a part of for over four years.
He further described BioWare as a corpse being worn by EA yes-men filled with cult-like pandering weirdos. It wasn't anything like he had signed on for years ago. He even shared a personal story about how he was called to HR to discuss a situation that a female coworker at the office complained about him and made her feel uncomfortable in order to ensure her job was safe and more importantly, hold him down below her, even though, according to him, he did nothing wrong at all. In a weird way, it could be described as a modern form of corporate slavery, and he has to obey the masters or face the punishment of being blackballed from the industry on the whole.
It was a female employee who was clearly, visibly, mentally unhinged and would claim anything to get ahead. Sounds like a real fun work environment they put together over there...
This insider noted that under this structure, BioWare’s latest release, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, served less like an immersive RPG experience... and more as a propaganda piece, aligning with the ideology of the company’s leadership. They didn't care to make the game fun he said. The rewrite after rewrite, changing hands of the script, redoing work he had done over and over again, each time, getting worse and worse from his perspective - but he put up with it, because he was already so in-deep with the project at that point. This game is, for all intents and purposes, genuine propaganda, on the same level as Dustborn. Which is crazy, because many folks thought that game was an aberration, but nope... it looks like its almost becoming a trend.
These issues may be affecting BioWare’s stability, and he mentioned that there’s growing talk within the company of incoming cutbacks. No one feels comfortable right now and the entire company is a house of cards. After nearly 10 years in development, scrapping the Dragon Age: Dreadwolf game, and starting over multiple times - EA is going to make some tough decsions. According to my source, these are all tied to mismanagement and the excessive focus on hiring practices that prioritize ideological alignment over skill, draining BioWare of its ability to sustain meaningful creative output.
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard finally out now, it has garnered a peak player count of just over 70,000 players on launch day, as tracked on SteamDB. While that’s a respectable start, the company’s alleged internal troubles are soon about to overshadow any initial numbers. Keep in mind that this game is nearly a decade in the making, and these numbers aren't anywhere close to where they would need to be to sustain a company after sinking the money they did into the project to get to this point...
The industry deserves transparency from one of its former powerhouses, and the world is watching BioWare’s trajectory closely. If my source is correct, and I truly believe he is, the situation within BioWare is more than just another case of corporate mismanagement; it’s an industry reminder about the costs of ideological conformity over innovation and merit in game development. Maybe someday they'll learn... but today, is not that day.
~Smash
