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BioWare Reviews
Updated Sept 6, 2023
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Found 113 of over 133 reviews
73% Recommend to a Friend
86% Approve of CEO
Found 112 of over 133 reviews
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Recommend to a Friend
Approve of CEO
Andrew Wilson
26 Ratings
Top Review Highlights by Sentiment
Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
Pros
- "There are a lot of amazing talented people there and EA offers great support to help in wfh and work / life balance." (in 26 reviews)
Cons
- "10 years ago, and reflects in the # of senior managers that have either left or been let go" (in 3 reviews)
Ratings by Demographics
This rating reflects the overall rating of BioWare and is not affected by filters.
- 5.0Sept 6, 2023ArtistFormer Employee, more than 10 years
Pros
- High Level of Autonomy, creative freedom - Great benefits and perks - Good work/life balance
Cons
Opaque leadership and tendency to chase trends
- 5.0May 21, 2023VP MarketingCurrent Employee
Pros
Outstanding company. Worth the effort.
Cons
Could use a shake-up to modernize.
- 5.0Jan 9, 2023Senior Animator ICurrent EmployeeEdmonton, AB
Pros
A lot of freedom to do rewarding work.
Cons
A lot of people not quite pulling their weight. Very uneven distribution of work.
- 2.0Jun 8, 2022Technical DesignerFormer Employee, more than 3 yearsEdmonton, AB
Pros
Close-knit community, awesome perks, world-renowned for making awesome narrative games.
Cons
There are some incredibly toxic people in leadership who seem immune to punishment or firing no matter what they do. Nepotism runs rampant and the old boy's club is still going strong. Sexism and harassment are sadly still common, and many of the good people who made the company what it is today have left. Pay is quite poor, especially for lower-level positions. Crunch remains a huge problem.
4 - 3.0Nov 13, 2021Team LeadFormer Employee, more than 5 yearsEdmonton, AB
Pros
There are a lot of amazing talented people there and EA offers great support to help in wfh and work / life balance.
Cons
It really felt like a sinking ship as more and more experienced developers were departing to other studios. A lot of pressure then falls on remaining staff many of them inexperienced, uninterested, or immature. Bioware seems like it is one final misstep away from closure and that everyone that can leave is leaving. There is not enough individual accountability with many developers who are simply not good enough for a studio of this legacy seeming to spend all their day creating distractions.
7 - 3.0Jul 19, 2022ArtistFormer Employee, more than 1 yearEdmonton, AB
Pros
-EA offers good benefits -Interesting projects -Team was nice
Cons
-No progression -Different departments are siloed / lack of communication between departments -''we've always done things this way''
- 4.0Apr 10, 2022Senior Game DesignerFormer Employee, more than 1 yearEdmonton, AB
Pros
Good people to work with
Cons
Too big at times needs more focus
- 5.0Jan 15, 20223D AnimatorCurrent Employee, less than 1 yearRichmond, BC
Pros
-Flexible hours -interesting projects -strong independent spirit without loosing colaberation
Cons
-remote work -have to work on edmonton time
2 - 5.0Dec 19, 2016Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee, more than 5 yearsEdmonton, AB
Pros
- Average age of employees here are much higher than other game studios I've previously worked at. Reinforcing my observation that they really make it a place you would like to stay and settle down in. - Despite the usual industry technology churn and process changes, management is always approachable and willing to listen to your input, feedback and is sincere about your concerns. - Family oriented; if you need to take time off for your kids, family issues or involved with outreach, BioWare will work with you on making it happen. - Quality focused, the senior leadership team and leads at all levels are focused on making quality games. Though we have KPI targets, meta critic ratings to aim for, at the end of the day people are willing to put that aside if your decision is to make the game better instead of bean counting.
Cons
- Location makes it hard to retain talent, especially when attracting younger talent. - BioWare culture is harder to export to sister studios, which can cause misalignment with decisions and direction. - EA though mostly hands off especially on the creative development of the game, still consistently tinkers with the studio structure, management and process, causing past senior leadership members to leave and it erodes BioWare's company culture.
2 - 3.0Sept 6, 2012DesignerFormer Employee, more than 1 yearEdmonton, AB
Pros
Very family oriented. Several husband and wife teams. Good salaries and ESPP. A lot of talented designers and writers. Really good benefits. Breakfast every morning. Free milk and juice to drink. EA has great marketing. Edmonton has hardly any traffic.
Cons
Nepotism is rampant. Huge team sizes. Seemingly closed to new ideas. Not much room to grow. Many employees are expected to specialize in a particular aspect of their discipline, and there are few opportunities for leadership. Art and Programming departments get their way more than they should because BioWare has trouble hiring programmers and artists. Many producers are completely clueless at how to manage a large team. The Dragon Age management team is misguided and they seem to be group-thinking their franchise off a cliff. Some managers tend to take undue credit for the hard work and brilliant ideas of their team members. Most people at Bioware Edmonton have never worked for other game companies, and many of them probably wouldn't cut it outside BioWare. High cost of living in Edmonton, despite the fact that hardly anyone really wants to live there.
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BioWare Reviews FAQs
BioWare has an overall rating of 3.8 out of 5, based on over 133 reviews left anonymously by employees. 73% of employees would recommend working at BioWare to a friend and 44% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.
73% of BioWare employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated BioWare 3.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.2 for career opportunities.
