In 2021, former BioWare general manager Casey Hudson announced a new studio called Humanoid Origin. It was working on a sci-fi blockbuster and hiring for an ambitious future. On Monday, however, the studio announced it was shutting down just a few years later, having failed to acquire the funding needed to continue.
“Despite efforts to shield the studio from broader challenges in the industry, an unexpected shortfall of funding left us unable to sustain operations,” the company announced on LinkedIn. “We’re heartbroken that we will not be able to bring our new science-fiction universe to completion. Our main concern at this time however is for our team, and we are committed to supporting them in their transition to new employment.”
Humanoid Origin is the latest new studio with veteran talent working on a large-scale game that’s died on the vine amid a drought of investor money and publishing deals during one of the roughest periods for the video game industry in over a decade. There were roughly 70 employees, according to LinkedIn. Prior to founding the team, Hudson was a longtime developer and producer at BioWare, where he worked on everything from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic to Mass Effect 3.
He left the RPG powerhouse in 2015, only to return a couple of years later as BioWare’s general manager following the rough launch of Mass Effect Andromeda. The bad times continued with the disastrous live-service launch of Anthem a few years later. Hudson then left BioWare in 2020 alongside veteran producer Mark Darrah, with the messy development of what would become Dragon Age: The Veilguard well underway.
“In our time together, the team achieved incredible progress, and demonstrated that it’s possible to do amazing work while fostering a culture of fun and creativity,” read Humanoid Origin’s farewell statement today. “We thank them for their talent, courage, and friendship.”
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