As you might've seen, legendary RPG studio BioWare has been shut down by parent company Electronic Arts. No matter what you think of the studio and its games, layoffs suck and so does the closure of a company behind some of the most beloved fantasy franchises of all time, which in BioWare's case includes Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age, and Mass Effect. But naturally, not everyone can behave appropriately in response to such an unequivocally horrible situation, nor can everyone simply keep their mouths shut as hundreds of people lose their livelihoods all at once. If a tweet from BioWare veteran and Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 creative director James Ohlen were a room, it wasn't being read.
In his initial response to the devastating news, Ohlen wrote a blank check of referral for the people who lost their jobs at BioWare this week, calling them "some of the best RPG developers in the world.
"If you're hiring writers, designers, artists or engineers, start with them. Former BioWare folks: if an intro from me would help, reach out," he wrote.
Good stuff. No complaints. But wait... the comments section! Surely, it's filled with BioWare fans expressing their sympathies, appreciation, and support for the developers losing their jobs so abruptly, right? ...Right? [Deep sigh], no, of course not, this is the internet in 2026, after all. I am not linking to Ohlen's original tweet and I don't recommend reading the comments on it because it's a terribly unpleasant place to spend your time, but it's filled with hateful comments blaming The Veilguard developers for BioWare's downfall.
A lot of you replied to my last post, so here are a few thoughts. The majority of people on a team the size of Veilguard’s had little or no say in the things you disliked about it. Right up to the end, BioWare still had many people who worked on the games you loved. I also have my own issues with modern entertainment, especially when political messaging gets in the way of good storytelling. I was the guy responsible for the broodmothers in Origins, but also the guy who wanted Zevran to be a same-sex romance. Years later, my son told me he was gay (he gave me permission to share this). I converted to Catholicism several years ago. My son and I love each other and enjoy arguing over politics and religion. My favorite character is Conan the Barbarian, and I love the art of Frank Frazetta, Brom and Chris Achilleos. What I’m trying to say is that it’s possible to hold views that don’t fit neatly into anyone’s political camp, and to love and respect people you disagree with. People are complicated. That includes the people who make the games you love or hate.October 22, 2026
Ohlen clearly read those comments, because he followed up with a new tweet today in which he goes to bat for The Veilguard developers specifically.
"A lot of you replied to my last post, so here are a few thoughts," he says. "The majority of people on a team the size of Veilguard’s had little or no say in the things you disliked about it. Right up to the end, BioWare still had many people who worked on the games you loved."
Ohlen adds that he has his "own issues with modern entertainment, especially when political messaging gets in the way of good storytelling," but ultimately was "responsible" for controversial stuff like Dragon Age Origins' Broodmothers and, uh, same-sex romance options for Zevran.
"What I'm trying to say is that it’s possible to hold views that don’t fit neatly into anyone’s political camp, and to love and respect people you disagree with. People are complicated. That includes the people who make the games you love or hate," Ohlen concludes.
While Dragon Age: The Veilguard received strong reviews from critics, a whole bunch of longtime Dragon Age fans have been seriously critical of some of BioWare's design decisions. Some of these complaints are perfectly sensible, but there's a vocal minority focused on the introduction of a nonbinary recruitable companion as proof that BioWare went "woke" and ruined the franchise forever. It seems to be those criticisms that Ohlen is responding to, even if he himself thinks political messaging can sometimes interfere with storytelling.
Regardless of Ohlen's views, I appreciate that he's showing support for the former BioWare devs in need of work and urging compassion even when those devs commit the cardinal sin of putting non-binary characters into video games.
