Former Outspoken BioWare Developer Talks About Lack Of Diversity And "Speaking Up"

Veteran BioWare game developer Manveer Heir recently took part in an interview to give a little closer look into the team over at BioWare and some of the issues their latest title, Mass Effect: Andromeda, faced. Heir is known for being outspoken, "loud", and to the point so his take on diversity in the workplace over at BioWare should be of no surprise.

While some thought BioWare has become "too conscious" of being inclusive, many others thought they weren't trying hard enough. It turns out, Heir agrees. In his recent interview with Waypoint, he had this to say about the team and how they tried to speak up for more diversity:

"I wasn't the only one. There were other people, there were other white people, white men, who spoke up. There's a lot of really good people inside of BioWare who spoke up on this stuff. This is what happens when, I think, you have a homogeneous leadership. The leadership of Mass Effect: Andromeda was all white men."

Sometimes, his outspoken nature got him into trouble and one Twitter tirade ended up jumpstarting his resignation from the BioWare itself. When asked about what he thinks about the situation looking back, he had this to say about his actions:

"As somebody's who's public, you become the loud guy, you become the angry guy, and you become the person who's just trying to get all the press for yourself. That's how it's read, and then there becomes internal strife.

It is our job to speak up and do that thing. I'm not gonna quiet down and I'm not gonna not fight. So to me, when I realized I was in an environment that did not accept that and want that, and that was telling me I was being too angry or I was speaking up too much, and basically tried to tell me to sit down and be humble, I was like … peace out."

With the topic of inclusiveness within medias, including gaming, being on the rise - the opinions on both sides are incredibly vocal about their views. With the disappointing lifespan of Mass Effect: Andromeda, many long-time Mass Effect fans were disappointed with the lack of diversity, while others thought that that was simply not an issue. Regardless of where you stand on the subject, there is no denying that it is a hot topic that is being brought up more and more frequently.

To hear more about Heir's, and other developers, experience with BioWare, you can listen to the full podcast right here.