The Old Republic's Executive Producer Leaves BioWare After Layoffs Reported

[Shawn Zipay]

Word is quickly spreading that a round of layoffs are hitting BioWare Austin today. Though unconfirmed at the moment, one position is confirmed as now being vacant. That position belonged to Rich Vogel who stepped down as Executive Producer on Star Wars: The Old Republic. It's being reported that he has left BioWare completely.

This is happening at a time when the dying MMO has lost over 400,000 paying subscribers in recent months, with a consideration being made to make the game free-to-play.

As noted, additional reports state that layoffs are impacting the company today. These layoffs are being billed as a necessity that will allow the remaining team to better maintain and grow The Old Republic. Neither BioWare nor EA have made any official statements.

As Gamasutra notes, Vogel has been an industry veteran of more than 20 years. He helped create and maintain MMO's such as Meridian 59, Ultima Online, and Star Wars Galaxies. His last seven years in the industry have been with BioWare as Vice-President and Executive Producer.

(via)