Veteran BioWare writer Jay Watamaniuk departs studio

After 21 years, BioWare writer Jay Watamaniuk has announced his departure from the studio. On July 7, he revealed that he was leaving the developer he's worked at since 2001. 

"My 21 year journey with BioWare has come to an end," wrote Watamaniuk. "I wanted to thank the exceptional team of writers who taught me the business of creation with empathy, patience and humor. [...] It was a privilege."

Watamaniuk first started as a community manager for BioWare before transitioning to an associate writer role for 2010's Mass Effect 2 and its "Lair of the Shadow Broker" DLC. He went on to write for Mass Effect and its story DLC, and helped with pre-production on 2017's Mass Effect: Andromeda. 

He later left the Mass Effect franchise to co-lead production on Anthem, then became a senior writer for Star Wars: The Old Republic. The MMO recently had its development shift over to third-party studio Broadsword, and some of the team is said to be transferred over as well. 

It's unclear if Watamaniuk is among those affected by layoffs by this developer change. He's another notable BioWare fixture who's left the studio this year; in January, fellow writer Mac Walters (who similarly worked on Mass Effect and Anthem) announced his own leave after nearly 20 years at the developer.