BioWare, the studio behind the Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, joined the list of video game developers to dismiss employees. Some of these workers are fighting back. Seven of them have banded together and sued the company for "adequate severance" as they claim it offered them less than they are worth.
In August, BioWare laid off 50 of its staff members in a bid to become "more agile and more focused." The cut affected people across different experience levels, including two members who had been at the company for more than two decades.
The seven employees suing the company are some of its oldest with an average of 14 years of service between them. They filed a Statement of Claim for fair severance in Alberta Courts of King's Bench as they believe that BioWare has been unfair to them in how it handled their severance. They are also requesting for punitive damages for this injustice.
According to the group, BioWare offered less severance than they are entitled to under the laws of Alberta. They wrote, "In most recent court cases of termination without cause, Alberta Courts have been awarded at least one month of severance pay per year of service, with full value of all benefits included."
