Tag Archives: Electronic Arts

Business, Games, Gaming

The behind-the-scenes of the surprising restructuring at BioWare

BioWare has been working over the past few months to move employees to other teams at Electronic Arts (EA) that had open roles. Initially, dozens of BioWare employees were told they would temporarily be allocated to other EA projects following the launch of Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

However, EA has now informed these employees that the transfers are permanent.

Jason Schreier’s recent article for Bloomberg reports that BioWare has undergone significant restructuring, reducing its workforce to under 100 employees. This change follows the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and as the studio focuses on the next Mass Effect game. Many employees have been permanently transferred to other Electronic Arts projects, a move that hasn’t been well-received by all.

The decision was influenced by the financial update that Electronic Arts reported to its investors previous to their earning release, that titles like the latest Dragon Age, fell short on holidays sales’ expectations.

Reportedly, the restructuring has not been well-received by all employees. Several employees are reportedly unhappy with the permanent transfers and the overall reduction in staff and while it some point of view, it is better than just being layoff, the main thing is on how thing went from temporary to permanent.

And added to the mix that if BioWare needs more staff, the previous staff needs to reapply to job listing and not ask a direct transfer.

And meanwhile, BioWare plans to staff back up once the next Mass Effect game gets further into production. The studio is currently focusing on this highly anticipated project, which is expected to be a major release but according to Schreier’s sources, the development is barely at the midpoint between preproduction and full production.

Which raises the question… how a understaffed gaming studio can handle a big AAA game development and expects not repeat the mistakes and haste decision?

I will purposely bring as a notorious example, Anthem, a great game but with poorly post-launch support and some other details that can be discussed in a future editorial and/or YouTube video.

BioWare, once known for ambitious role-playing games like Dragon Age and the original Mass Effect trilogy, has faced challenges with recent projects. The studio’s last two major releases, Mass Effect: Andromeda and Anthem, were met with mixed reviews and criticism from both fans and critics.

Games, Gaming, News, PC

The Sims Legacy Collection 1 & 2 is yet another blast from the gaming past

The Sims and The Sims 2 have officially made their return, much to the delight of fans worldwide. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the beloved life simulation series, EA has re-released both games in special Legacy Collections on platforms like Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the EA app.

The The Sims Legacy Collection includes the original The Sims game along with several expansion packs and stuff packs. Here’s what you can expect:

  • The Sims: The base game that started it all.
  • Livin’ Large: Adds new objects, characters, and gameplay elements.
  • House Party: Introduces party-related items and activities.
  • Hot Date: Focuses on romantic interactions and new locations.
  • Vacation: Adds vacation destinations and related items.
  • Unleashed: Brings pets into the game.
  • Superstar: Adds fame and celebrity elements.
  • Makin’ Magic: Introduces magic and spellcasting.
  • Throwback Fit Kit: A bonus pack from The Sims 4, adding retro-themed clothing.

The The Sims 2 Legacy Collection includes the sequel The Sims 2 along with its numerous expansions and stuff packs. Here’s what’s included:

  • The Sims 2: The base game that expanded on the original’s success.
  • University: Adds a university campus and related gameplay elements.
  • Nightlife: Focuses on nightlife and social interactions.
  • Open for Business: Introduces business and commerce elements.
  • Pets: Adds pets and pet-related gameplay.
  • Bon Voyage: Adds vacation destinations.
  • Seasons: Introduces weather and seasonal changes.
  • FreeTime: Adds hobbies and leisure activities.
  • Apartment Life: Adds apartment buildings and related gameplay.
  • Holiday Party Pack: Adds holiday-themed items.
  • Family Fun Stuff: Adds family-related items.
  • Glamour Life Stuff: Adds glamorous items.
  • Happy Holiday Stuff: Adds holiday-themed items.
  • Celebration! Stuff: Adds celebration-themed items.
  • H&M Fashion Stuff: Adds fashion items from H&M.
  • Teen Style Stuff: Adds teen fashion items.
  • Kitchen & Bath Interior Design Stuff: Adds kitchen and bathroom items.
  • Mansion & Garden Stuff: Adds mansion and garden items.
  • Grunge Revival Kit: A bonus pack from The Sims 4, adding grunge-themed clothing.
    (For those who remembers, IKEA expansion is absent as probably either EA could not get into an licensing agreement for decoration designs or maybe is not interested on sharing profits to IKEA)

The The Sims Legacy Collection is priced at $20, while the The Sims 2 Legacy Collection is priced at $30. For those who want both, there’s a 25th Birthday Bundle available for $40, saving you $8. These collections are available on Windows 10 and 11, and you can transfer old save files and mods from the original games.

While these collections aren’t remasters, they offer a nostalgic trip back to the early 2000s with all the expansions and stuff packs included. The games have been updated to run on modern systems, but don’t expect major visual or gameplay improvements. It’s all about reliving the magic and simplicity of the original games.

Business, Gaming, News

EA Expands Accessibility Patents Pledge with 23 New Patents

Electronic Arts (EA) has expanded its Accessibility Patents Pledge by adding 23 new patents to the initiative. Launched in August 2021, the pledge initially included five patents aimed at improving accessibility for players. Over the years, this number has grown to 15, and now, with the latest addition, the total stands at 38 patents.

These patents cover a range of technologies designed to make gaming more inclusive for players with disabilities or medical issues. Some of the newly added patents include:

  • Intelligent Personalized Speech Recognition: A system that improves the accuracy and efficiency of speech recognition by using personal phoneme mappings for each user.
  • Generating Expressive Speech Audio from Text Data: A system that generates expressive speech audio from text data, providing more control and personalization based on desired speaking style and speaker attributes.
  • Generating Speech in the Voice of a Player: A system that can generate speech in the voice of a player for their avatar, based on minimal sample speech data.
  • Voice Aging Using Machine Learning: A system that can age an original input voice to a desired target age without requiring additional voice samples.
  • Emotion-Based Music Style Change Using Deep Learning: A system that infers a player’s emotion while playing a video game and tunes the background soundtrack to best fit that emotion.

In addition to the patents, EA has also released an Unreal Engine 5 plugin that enables in-engine use of its photosensitivity analysis tech, IRIS, which was open-sourced last year. This plugin allows developers to analyze and identify frames that could potentially impact players who experience photosensitivity and make necessary adjustments.

EA’s commitment to making games more accessible is evident in its ongoing efforts to share its accessibility-centered technology with the wider industry royalty-free. By doing so, EA aims to encourage the industry to work together to remove barriers and make gaming more inclusive for everyone.

Games, Gaming, News

Patch 3 give Dragon Age: The Veilguard a proper state of “new released” game

BioWare has recently released Patch 3 for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, introducing a host of new features and fixes to enhance the gaming experience. This update includes 57 improvements and bug fixes, making it a substantial update for fans of the game.

Among the notable changes, players can now enjoy new filters in Photo Mode, making it easier to capture stunning in-game moments. Additionally, the file naming system for Photo Mode screenshots has been simplified, now including the date the photo was taken. This should help players keep their screenshots organized and easily accessible.

The patch also includes several quality-of-life updates, such as the ability to bind arrow keys to input mappings and new icons for some weapons. Players can now more easily identify where enchantments have been applied to their companions’ equipment. Another handy feature is the notification that appears when the Crossroads’ Spirit Merchant is available.

On the bug-fixing front, BioWare has addressed various issues, including game crashes, unexpected character behavior during cutscenes, and instances where companions would get stuck on balance beams. These fixes aim to provide a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience for all players.

BioWare has also mentioned that there will be another patch coming soon, indicating their commitment to continually improving Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Fans can look forward to more updates and enhancements in the future.

For a detailed list of all the changes, players can check out the full patch notes on the official Dragon Age: includes:

Quality of Life Changes: 

  • Arrow keys can now be bound to input mappings.
  • Filters added to Photo Mode.
  • Screenshot file names from Photo Mode have been simplified, showing the date the photo was taken.
  • The File Path where screenshots are saved is now shown in game when a screenshot is taken through Photo Mode.
  • It is now easier to identify where an Enchantment has been applied to a companion’s equipment.
  • Adjusted the Glint option description in Settings. 
  • New rings can now be compared against both equipped ring slots.
  • A notification now appears when the Crossroads’ Spirit Merchant is available.
  • Added new icons for some weapons.

Bug Fixes: 

  • Eliminated the causes of a small number of crashes.
  • Rook’s body shape no longer changes unexpectedly after a cutscene with Emmrich.
  • Adjusted an odd facial expression when Rook first meets Emmrich. 
  • Fixed a rare issue where some of an existing Rook’s settings got unintentionally reset after making and saving a new Rook. This fix is now also on consoles and retroactively affects saves on all platforms.
  • Adjusted the volume level of Spite’s voice in some scenes.
  • Fixed some instances where music would incorrectly stop playing.
  • Fixed some instances where unintended music or sound effects would play.
  • Antaam Champions now correctly do slightly more damage.
  • Mage Rooks no longer shift to the right awkwardly after performing an extended dodge.
  • The Rogue Skill “Underdog’s Bite” now correctly lists “Enhanced Damage” instead of “Empowered Damage.”
  • Fixed some instances where enemies could get stuck or were unreachable in some areas.
  • Fixed some instances where companions could get stuck on balance beams.
  • Bellara can no longer endlessly charge Rook’s Ultimate outside of combat.
  • Emmrich’s attack stat is now displayed correctly at the start of the Where the Dead Must Go quest.
  • Fixed a bug where Emmrich was sometimes not available on the ability wheel during the Where the Dead Must Go quest.
  • Companions’ revives are now correctly refilled at the start of The Last Gambit quest.
  • The Kataranda now has its correct unique coloring.
  • Fixed an issue with the critical hit and penetration modifiers on the “Twin Edged Pick” Warrior weapon. 
  • Taash’s cape on the “Rivain’s Legacy” armor no longer stretches in cutscenes. 
  • The Grey Warden “Recruit’s Simple Tunic” appearance no longer clips uncomfortably through Rook’s neck. 
  • The “Mythals’ Light” Mage weapon now does the intended amount of physical base damage (0).
  • The “Mythal’s Light” Mage weapon now does physical damage to enemy health if a physical damage enchantment is applied.
  • Fixed instances where stat bonuses from some Treviso valuables were applied incorrectly.
  • Fixed instances where valuables with stat increases were not all visible in merchant stores.
  • Improved textures on various characters and environment objects.
  • Fixed an issue where VFX could become extremely bright.
  • Fixed several distance “pop-in” issues.
  • Fixed an issue that caused the camera to stutter when closing the eluvian interface. 
  • Fixes several instances where quest objectives would not update correctly during some quests.
  • The On Deadly Wings quest can now be completed even if the A Slow Poison quest has not been fully completed.
  • The Mayor of D’Meta’s Crossing no longer appears in two places at once during the Lives Spared quest.
  • One of the Revenants will no longer fail to appear in the Crossroads. 
  • Fixed an issue where a door would not open during the Heights of Athim memory in the Regrets of the Dreadwolf quest. 
  • The intended 2D cinematic scene now plays after the Shadows Crossing quest.
  • Fixed an issue where the path forward could become blocked in the A Murder of Crows quest.
  • Fixed a blocking issue during the In Entropy’s Grasp quest. 
  • Companions are now present when loading the first autosave made in the Isle of the Gods quest.
  • The HDR Calibration setting is now saved correctly between game sessions.
  • Prevented multiple instances where Rook could get stuck while exploring Thedas.
  • One of the “Watcher’s Robe” appearance variations is now correctly granted after completing the Disrupt and Conquer memory. 
  • Fixed a place in Arlathan Forest where Rook could get stuck in a drowning loop. 
  • Fixed instances where Rook forgot they already had the lyrium dagger and could not interact with treasure chests and altars.
  • Codex entries that were already read will no longer be re-marked as unread.
  • Fixed an issue where the scrollbar could get stuck in the Codex screen.
  • Enchantments on abilities are now reset correctly when Skill Tree nodes are reset.
  • The Crossroads’ Spirit Merchant now shows the intended faction reputation gained for whichever city was blighted when selling valuables.
  • Fixed a rare issue where some Skill Tree nodes were sometimes unable to be unlocked.
  • Some adjustments to the game credits.