BioWare had laid off 50 employees back in August, from the team that was working on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, reportedly without any probable cause. Of those 50 former employees, seven of them with an average of 14 years of service, refused BioWare’s low compensation. Now, the seven former employees have decided to file a Statement of Claim requesting fair severance pay.
Former BioWare Technical Director Jon Renish published the full statement on his social account on X (formerly Twitter). There have been layoffs across gaming corporations this year, right from January, with Blizzard and Naughty Dog also having joined the list with layoffs.
Former Employees Claim BioWare General Manager’s Promises Not Kept
Back in August, breaking the news about the unexpected layoffs in BioWare, General Manager Gary McKay announced 50 job cuts, claiming the company’s move towards an agile and focused studio was the reason. McKay had also promised to complete the layoff process by handling the impacted employees with “empathy, respect, and clear communication”.
Also Read: Blizzard Fires 10 Members from Its Hearthstone Team
Seven of the affected employees, however, have claimed that they were not provided with an “adequate severance” from BioWare. With an average of 14 years of service in the company, the seven employees have decided to approach the Alberta Courts of King’s Bench and filed a Statement of Claim for fair severance.
The claim also includes a request for punitive damages claiming unreasonably poor treatment by BioWare. Here’s the full statement, as posted by former BioWare Technical Director Jon Renish.
https://twitter.com/JonRenish/status/1709324743248322972
As per the statement, Alberta Courts are said to grant employees who get laid off with at least one month’s severance pay for every year of service, including full benefits. This is what the seven affected employees wish to legally get granted to them, as the offered compensation was far too low.
Another claim by one of those seven employees is that BioWare had forced them to sign off an NDA that prevented them from showing any of their recent work on Dragon Age: Dreadwolf in their portfolios. The unnamed employee went on to share their concerns about “the difficulty many of us will have to find work as the holiday season approaches”.
Sharing their support for the game they had worked on and towards their former colleagues who continue to work on the game, one of the employees claimed to have not understood why “BioWare is shortchanging us in this challenging time”.
Counsel For The Seven Employees Claims BioWare May Not Have Followed Court Provisions
R. Alex Kennedy is the appointed counsel for the seven employees, looking to get the impacted employees their due severance. Kennedy claims that even if BioWare may have had contracts in place that discuss employee terminations, it’s not a given that BioWare would have followed due provisions.
Kennedy has stated that BioWare’s attempt at reducing its obligations to the affected employees falls well below what the court typically awards. As per Kennedy, this includes, “eliminating benefits from its termination pay” which he claims appears on the contrary to the Employment Standards Code.
Also Read: Epic Games Lays Off 900 Employees in Latest Hit to the Gaming Industry
Kennedy is of the opinion that these seven individuals deserve a generous severance pay for having worked “very hard and for a very long time in a difficult industry, producing big profits for their employer”.
Kennedy has called for a response from BioWare in response to the termination without cause. Kennedy concluded by saying although employers have their right to terminate employees at any time, they must also bear the “responsibility to the people they put in that situation”.
BioWare is yet to comment back about the Statement of Claim against it, so it’s unclear what steps would be taken, if any, to come to a resolution. Are you concerned about people working within the gaming industry losing their jobs? Make sure to leave a comment and let us know your thoughts.
Source: X
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
