Star Trek Online exec slams studio closures and AI "magic beans"

Star Trek Online executive producer Thomas Marrone criticised EA's closure of BioWare and layoffs across the industry, calling the breakup of established teams "setting fire to millions of dollars". He argued hits come from studios with years of chemistry, not new teams of "AAA veterans" chasing AI or NFT trends.

• Marrone called closing successful studios "wildly irresponsible and self-sabotaging"
• He noted Blizzard, Larian and Arrowhead scored hits only on their 3rd or 4th game
• He urged publishers not to chase a "magic bean" like NFTs or GenAI
• Marrone has worked at Cryptic Studios for 16 years on one game