Vogel departs BioWare amidst reported layoffs

It was confirmed today that Bioware Austin has lost executive producer Rich Vogel amidst reports of layoffs at the Star Wars: The Old Republic developer.

EA revealed plans to restructure the studio after news broke the MMO had lost over half a million subscribers, but did not specify how many people would be laid off.

Vogel revealed his departure to Gamasutra, which understands that he left the studio prior to the reported layoffs.

Bioware has not revealed who will be stepping into the shoes of the twenty year industry veteran.

Vogel, who oversaw all aspects of STWOR’s development, has worked on several other notable MMOs, such as 3DO’s landmark Meridian 59, EA/Origin’s Ultima Online, and Sony Online Entertainment’s Star Wars Galaxies.

There has been no official response from either EA or Bioware concerning the layoff reports.