Ex-Bioware head Casey Hudson announces Humanoid Studios

A new team with a mission of creativity.

What you need to know

• Casey Hudson is a game developer known for his work on iconic BioWare titles, such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the original Mass Effect trilogy.
• Hudson stepped down from his role as General Manager of BioWare in Dec. 2020.
• Today, Hudson announced Humaoid Studios, a new Canadian studio working on a new IP.

Back in December 2020, BioWare veteran Casey Hudson departed the company without mentioning what he'd be working on next. Hudson announced on Tuesday that he has founded Humanoid Studios, a new Canadian studio with "talented developers from around the world."

Humanoid Studios is aiming to bring "innovation and artistry," as the team will be working on a new IP. No further details were mentioned at this time, though some of job listings do suggest having experience with Unreal Engine, so maybe the game will run on Unreal Engine 5. No matter how it shakes out, it's early days for the team, so we wouldn't expect to hear more anytime soon.

Throughout his tenure at BioWare, Hudson worked on games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, the first three Mass Effect games and Anthem. It'll be interesting to see just what genre Humanoid Studios is targetting and whether or not it draws on Hudson's long familiarity with science-fiction worlds and ideas.

Earlier this year, I spoke with several veterans of AAA game studio development about just why many so many developers are striking out on their own in smaller, independent studios right now. Many developers want to work on a smaller team of no larger than around 100 staff, while others simply need a break and want to try something new.