Star Trek Online exec criticises EA's BioWare closure and studio shutdowns as "setting fire to millions of dollars"

Star Trek Online executive producer Thomas Marrone criticised EA's closure of BioWare and wider industry layoffs, calling the dismantling of established teams "wildly irresponsible and self-sabotaging" and likening it to setting fire to millions of dollars of property and equipment. He argued that good games depend on team chemistry built over years, asking what would have happened if Larian had shut down after Divine Divinity or Arrowhead after Magicka. He also scorned publishers chasing "AAA veteran" start-ups and "magic bean" technologies such as NFTs or GenAI.