Electronic Arts subsidiaries BioWare (Mass Effect, Star Wars: The Old Republic) and Mythic Entertainment (Dark Age of Camelot, Warhammer Online) are to be combined into a new "studio group" led by BioWare co-founder and general manager Ray Muzyka.

Mythic revealed the restructuring today on its official website, with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk serving as chief creative officer of the new group and Mythic co-founder Rob Denton now acting as general manager of the Mythic division. Denton will report to group general manager Muzyka, and BioWare's studios "remain unchanged."

Denton replaces previous Mythic general manager, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning lead designer, and fellow co-founder Mark Jacobs. The studio revealed that Jacob's last day at the EA-owned studio was yesterday, June 23, noting that "we thank Mark for his contributions at Mythic and wish him the very best going forward."

Following rumors that Warhammer Online developer Mythic Entertainment lost some staff in the latest round of cost-cutting measures for studio owner Electronic Arts, Mythic VP Mark Jacobs has assured fans that its PC MMO will continue to be supported.

"It's not like we had a small team at launch or even a small team now," he wrote in forum post. "I have a very large team continuing to work on WAR now and going forward and we'll continue to build with that." The rumor claims all of Mythic's playtesters were let go, along with half of its QA team and 21 customer service employees.

While unable to comment directly on "possible/actual layoffs," Jacobs... Read more

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning developer Mythic Entertainment is the latest EA subsidiary to be hit in the company's latest cost-cutting efforts, Joystiq reports.

Citing anonymous sources, the site claims that all of Mythic's playtesters were let go, along with 21 customer service employees and half of its quality assurance team.

When reached for comment, studio owner Electronic Arts once again stated that no specifics on the latest round of cost-cutting measures would be provided until early February--the same response given to rumors that EA axed Pandemic Brisbane.

Electronic Arts had previously announced that it would cut roughly 10% of its global workforce by March 31, and close "at least" nine facilities. Skate and Need for Speed developer Black Box is among those slated for closure, with the studio's teams and "associated game franchises" moving to a nearby office in Burnaby, British Columbia.