More SWTOR layoffs reported as executive producer leaves BioWare

News of more BioWare Austin layoffs have been made public following reports that Star Wars: The Old Republic executive producer Rich Vogel has left the studio.

As reported by Gamasutra, Vogel, who worked on numerous other MMOs like Ultima Online and Star Wars Galaxies, left BioWare Austin after seven years of employment.

Gamasutra also claimed the Texas-based studio also laid off several workers this morning, though its unclear if this reduction is part of BioWare's restructuring plan announced in May. EA, at the time, did not specify how many employees would be affected, but did say it was necessary in order for the team to maintain and grow SWTOR.

While the layoffs may appear sudden, it's hardly surprising given the dwindling subscriber numbers for Star Wars: The Old Republic. In May, it was revealed that subscriptions to the once-highly anticipated MMORPG fell from 1.7 million in February to 1.3 million in May. BioWare has since hinted that it may switch to a free-to-play model, and has even made the first 15 levels of the game available to everyone for free as an attempt to lure in new customers.

In some lighter news regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare today released a new trailer revealing the deadly HK-51 companion droid.