BioWare general manager, Anthem director Aaryn Flynn steps down

BioWare general manager Aaryn Flynn is leaving the studio at the end of July. Taking his place will be Casey Hudson, a long-time employee and former BioWare executive producer, who is returning after three years away.

Flynn, a 17-year veteran, has occupied a number of positions at the studio including lead programmer, chief technical officer and chief operating officer. He’s been GM for the past seven years and oversaw the launch of multiple entries in the Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Star Wars: The Old Republic franchises.

He was also the original director for Anthem, an ambitious new title which was revealed at this year’s E3 in Los Angeles.

“I have been contemplating changes in my own life for some time,” Flynn said in a heartfelt post on the official BioWare blog. “When I heard that Casey had confirmed he was up for the task, I realized the opportunities before us. I will be working with him over the next couple of weeks to help catch him up and do my part to set him up for success to be the best GM he can be.”

BioWare’s most recent title, Mass Effect: Andromeda, failed to meet the expectations of both critics and fans. It was plagued with severe animation bugs at launch, which adds credence to reports that development was rushed. Plans for downloadable content has reportedly been scrapped and the team reassigned.

Hudson, the director of the Mass Effect trilogy, recently spent time working as creative director at Microsoft Studios. He will return to BioWare as it embarks on Anthem, its first new intellectual property in a decade.

“When I left BioWare three years ago, it was the most difficult decision of my career,” Hudson said in his own post on the official BioWare blog. “I needed some time off, needed a bit of change, and wanted to get involved in the new wave of disruptive technologies that were emerging.

“The last few years have been transformative for me, from having time to reflect on what I most want to do, to working with new technologies at platform scale. And now, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to return to lead BioWare — a studio that I think of as home.”

Anthem is expected to launch some time next year.