Latest news with #Darrah
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ex-BioWare Lead Says The Dragon Age Team Didn't Feel Supported During Veilguard Development
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways It's no secret that the game that would become Dragon Age: The Veilguard had a troubled development. However, every time a new story comes out about how studio in-fighting and corporate favoritism affected the project, it feels like more of a miracle that the fantasy RPG got out the door looking like a classic BioWare game. Mark Darrah, the former executive producer of the Dragon Age series, has released a new YouTube video in which he discusses how a few events in 2017 fundamentally changed the trajectory of the RPG studio and how, according to him, Dragon Age was thrown under the bus in more ways than one during this time. Darrah's 16-minute video runs down how things shifted at BioWare in the months leading up to Mass Effect: Andromeda's launch in 2017, a period of change that he calls 'the most impactful 12 months' in the studio's history. In late 2016 Darrah, who had been working on Dragon Age, began instead leading the team that would oversee the closing months of the sci-fi RPG's development cycle. He explains that his transfer felt like a blow to the Dragon Age team, which was then working on one of the early iterations of the fantasy series' fourth entry, as Darrah had been a key member of its leadership. However, Darrah thought that by helping ship Andromeda, he could then see the resources dedicated to the game reallocated to help the Dragon Age team develop the fantasy RPG. But unfortunately, that's not what happened. 'My feeling at the time was the Dragon Age team was feeling jerked around,' Darrah says in the video. 'They were feeling like we were getting no support from BioWare or from [publisher] EA, which was basically true.' Darrah says his coming on to help with Andromeda was irregular at the time, as it was the first time the studio had a 'leadership discontinuity,' in which a person in charge of one project that was in active development left it to work on another. Darrah says the short time he spent working on Andromeda didn't ultimately have much of an impact on Dragon Age's development, but it did set a precedent establishing that leadership could be moved around within the company, even if they were in the middle of directing something else. This move contributed to a perception that Dragon Age wasn't a priority within the company. Darrah goes on to explain how the relationship between BioWare and EA changed at this time, as the studio started reporting to a different arm of the publisher. Prior to this, BioWare was 'strangely' reporting to higher-ups in the company's sports section, a group which Darrah described as 'benignly disinterested,' allowing the studio to work more autonomously. Then, when things shifted in 2017, BioWare started reporting to a branch of EA that was 'hyper interested' in the decision-making process. According to Darrah, this change in leadership was likely part of why the studio moved on from Andromeda so quickly, canceling the game's planned DLC and putting the sci-fi series on ice. 'The group that we reported into had very little stake in either the success or the failure of [Mass Effect: Andromeda], and they had a lot more incentive for BioWare to move on to the next thing that they could tie themselves to and show themselves as having influence on the development of,' Darrah said. As BioWare geared up for the next game, the much-maligned looter shooter Anthem, Darrah says he received 'assurances' from EA and BioWare leadership that Dragon Age was important to the company, but not the kinds of developers and resources that would back those statements up. And it was all made a lot more complicated by the return of ex-Mass Effect director Casey Hudson, who rejoined the company as its general manager in 2017. Darrah says he learned about Hudson's return at the same time as the rest of the company, despite being a senior member of BioWare's leadership team. He says he considered the decision to bring Hudson back without consulting him a sign of 'an immense amount of disrespect,' and he sent emails shortly after the announcement that said he expected Hudson would make a call to 'starve' Dragon Age of resources as the studio went all-hands-on-deck on Anthem. Darrah was once again reassured by leadership that Dragon Age was important to the company and that they were committed to him leading the project. 'As we all know, that's not what happened at all,' Darrah says. 'In very short order, in basically exactly the way that I predicted, Anthem was seen as needing greater leadership support, and myself and some other very senior people, and a large percentage of the Dragon Age team, was moved onto Anthem.' This was followed by the scaling down of BioWare's Montreal studio, which saw many staff members moved to other teams across the EA umbrella. Darrah says that the Montreal team had 'basically been lied to' and were told that the Dragon Age team 'didn't want' them. He also claims that he was trying to get the next Dragon Age past a certain development threshold which he hoped might allow him to retain those developers, but EA higher-ups who were local in Montreal wanted those people, and 'proximity is a powerful tool.' 'If you are someone who's been mad at me since 2017 because you feel like I abandoned you in Montreal, know that that's not what happened,' Darrah says. 'Know that I fought with every tool that I knew how to wield to try and keep you, but the organization had no interest in that occurring.' Whatever the circumstances, Darrah says EA wasn't interested in helping the Dragon Age team grow; it wanted Anthem to get off the ground and be a huge live-service hit for the company. Darrah hypothesizes that, at this point, management pivoted the Dragon Age project into the now-scrapped live-service game as a 'rationalization' for removing many members of the team and putting them to work on Anthem. Now that the next Dragon Age was going back to the drawing board, it could be argued that the project didn't need that big of a team in its early production stages. The move also resulted in a longer 'leadership discontinuity,' as Darrah worked on Anthem until the game shipped in 2019. 'I talked a fairly long time ago about how EA buys studios and then consumes them and they start to lose their culture into the overall EA culture,' Darrah said. 'To me, it feels like 2017 is when EA finished digesting BioWare, which they had bought nine years earlier in 2008.' Darrah acknowledges that much of his story might sound like a series of events that affected him personally rather than the studio at large, but a handful of ex-BioWare employees have shared the video on social media and corroborated the events described. Darrah's claims also line up with Kotaku's previous reporting on Anthem's development, in which sources told us about how the loot shooter took up much of the company's resources, further complicating the development of what would eventually become Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Darrah left BioWare in 2020, but returned to consult onThe Veilguard in 2023. After 10 years of tortured development, that game finally launched in 2024 as a single-player, story-driven RPG and was divisive in the ways Dragon Age games often are. In January, BioWare was restructured to be a one-game studio, resulting in layoffs for some of the company's veteran talent. The team that remains is working on Mass Effect 5. 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Yahoo
03-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Blair County dog rescue avoids closure, speaks up on licensing issues
ROARING SPRINGS, Pa. (WTAJ) — A Blair County dog rescue spoke out after problems with their kennel license almost forced them to shut down. A Darrah Bull Bully Rescue, which is a foster network that helps find new homes for bully breeds, was cited due to issues with their kennel license. According to the rescue's president Renae Metz, a dog warden inspected the rescue and mentioned an increase in dogs being brought in, which caused the rescue to upgrade their license. The license was originally at Kennel II, which accounted for 51 to 100 dogs brought in per year. However, the inspection had the warden count over that 100-dog threshold. This made Metz level up to a Kennel III license, which has a maximum of 150 dogs rescued per year. New 24/7 emergency vet clinic opening in State College 'The end of 2023, the laws changed in the state,' Metz said. 'APA with dog law, prior to 2024, is licensing a rescue network, kennel or nonprofit could have rescued unlimited dogs for $25 a year. We gave the state $25. They come in and inspect our paperwork twice a year, and it's a done deal. Beginning with 2024, they did away with that $25 fee, and we are now treated as if we are a boarding kennel per se, just like one where you go and pay a fee to keep your dog there while you're on vacation.' In a Facebook post, the rescue informed their followers of a citation that resulted in an additional $275 payment, which Metz says is unfair. 'To me, that just seems like it's, you know, you're you're hitting the good guys with a big fine rather than a dog loss should be taking those laws and putting them where they need to be,' Metz added. 'On the news, you're seeing all these hoarding cases, dogs being brought in from puppy mills. That's where they need to focus their attention and not on the good guys.' In that Facebook post, she contemplated shutting down the shelter, citing mental exhaustion and no time due to her full-time job. However, the recent loss of her dog, Darrah, whom the rescue was named after when it started 14 years ago, made her reflect on that decision. 'When Darrah passed away, you start rethinking things like, 'Wait, that's her legacy. Now, I think we should go on,'' Metz said. 'I think that it's just something that we're really considering. We're we are regrouping the rest of this year. We're trying to get the 27 dogs that are in the rescue, adopted. And then next year, when it comes to do the 2026 license, we're really going to think about it and just make sure it's the step we want to take.' However, multiple shelters and supporters have reached out in support, donating money to help pay the fine. But the support will build up a stance against the new kennel laws from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. 'They all would like the state to really take another look at this and realize that us paying $25, which was like that for the past 14 years, is realistic,' Metz added. 'Paying upwards of $500, $600 and $700 just to help out dogs is a little over the top.' WTAJ reached out to the Department of Agriculture for a comment on the situation, but they did not respond to our request. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Southern California investment advisor stole over $2 million from elderly clients
A Santa Barbara County investment advisor pleaded guilty on Tuesday to stealing about $2.25 million from her elderly clients – some of whom were receiving end-of-life care. The Department of Justice announced that Julie Anne Darrah, 52, of Santa Maria admitted to one count of wire fraud and will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. According to the DOJ, Darrah stole her clients' money from around November 2016 to July 2023 while running a locally-based investment advisory business called Vivid Financial Management Inc. (VFM). In order to carry out her fraud scheme, the DOJ said Darrah would first gain her clients' trust – oftentimes by convincing them she would take care of them in their older years like a daughter. Darrah then used this trust to convince her clients to give her control of their assets. Then, without the victims' knowledge or consent – the DOJ said Darrah liquidated their security holdings and transferred the proceeds to accounts she controlled. In addition, down the line, Darrah convinced her victims to sign documents that she then used to steal money from them. These documents would make Darrah the trustee of the signees' trusts, a signatory on their bank accounts, or the documents would give her power of attorney over their brokerage accounts and allow her – as their investment advisor – to transfer funds from their accounts to other bank accounts, including to her own accounts. With the stolen funds, the DOJ said Darrah would buy properties for herself, pay other personal expenses, buy luxury vehicles and operate other business ventures. 'Some victims were left in desperate circumstances, without the money to pay for end-of-life care, when the fraud was discovered,' said the DOJ. The DOJ noted that Darrah also convinced a company – referred to as 'Business Victim 1' in the plea agreement – to acquire VFM. Darrah gave Business Victim 1 false and misleading statements and concealed material facts, including her theft of individual client funds. After the fraud was discovered, the DOJ said Business Victim 1 suffered about $5.4 million in losses. 'The defendant took advantage of her clients' trust,' said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. 'Many of them were elderly and she stole from them using their funds as her own. Our seniors should never have to question whether their money is safe.' In December 2024, a judge found Darrah liable to pay $2,416,511, including interest. Darrah is scheduled for sentencing on May 19 and is currently free on a $50,000 bond. The DOJ added that if you or someone you know is 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is available at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
21-02-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Baby born without eyes due to extremely rare condition
A mother has described her twin daughter, who was born without eyes due to an extremely rare condition, as a "beautiful, happy, thriving little girl". Darrah O'Sullivan, 28, and her fiance Vince Greenaway 30, welcomed twins Maeve and Orla at 36 weeks on April 8, 2024. Initially, "everything seemed normal" until a paediatrician noticed that Maeve had not opened her eyes. The following day, doctors diagnosed Maeve with bilateral anophthalmia, a condition where a baby is born without eyes. It affects approximately one in 100,000 births, according to the NHS. Following an emotional week filled with concerns about Maeve's future, the family, from Watford, Hertfordshire, received reassurance that she had no other health issues. They began adapting to their new life, learning how to support their daughter's development. Maeve has since been fitted with conformers – plastic shells that aid in the normal development of her eye sockets. These will later be replaced with prosthetic eyes, matched in blue to her twin sister's eye colour. Darrah said: 'Maeve is 10 months old now, and I look back and think 'What on earth were we worried about?' 'Maeve is the most beautiful, happy, thriving little girl… so what if she can't see? 'She sees the world through a different way but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing. 'Maeve being blind, or her condition, will never, ever be a taboo subject in our house… we will all learn braille and it will just be such a normal part of our life. 'We don't want her to ever feel like her condition will stop her doing anything.' Darrah, who like Vince works in management, gave birth to her daughters at 36 weeks, after an 'absolute whirlwind' of being induced and then having a C-section. A few hours later, a paediatrician noted Maeve had still not opened her eyes, describing it as 'strange'. 'We hadn't even noticed because she was so tiny, we were fully unaware,' Darrah said. 'We knew by them saying 'strange' and their tone of voice that something wasn't right.' Maeve was diagnosed the next day. 'There was quite a lot of trauma in the first few days because it just isn't what you expect,' Vince said. Darrah added: 'It was the best and the worst week of our lives wrapped up into one.' An MRI scan when Maeve was five days old confirmed her eye condition was an 'isolated problem', and with no other health issues, she was allowed to go home after a week in hospital. 'We spent a few days processing as a family but ever since then, we've been super positive about everything,' Vince said. It has been a 'huge learning curve' for the family because they had never heard about bilateral anophthalmia and found most people have never heard of the condition. 'I would say people can be nosy when she's in the pram or when we're on holiday,' Vince added. 'We just say she has this condition and try to explain to people.' The family has received ongoing support from Guide Dogs and Macs, a support charity for people with microphthalmia, anophthalmia and coloboma eye conditions. Maeve has three specialists assisting her with mobility and tactile playing, and will have help to learn braille when she is older. Darrah added: 'Teaching her how to crawl and all those little things that most babies learn through vision, we just have to do it differently. 'But as she gets older, our knowledge of being blind will grow and we'll keep learning as we go.' Through Macs, Vince and Darrah have connected with other parents of children with the condition and are part of a Facebook support group. 'Her specific condition is super rare, but actually being blind isn't… and there is so much out there to help a blind person navigate the world,' Darrah added. 'We don't feel like her condition will necessarily hold her back or stop her from doing anything, really.' To increase awareness of the condition, Vince will run the 2025 London Marathon for Macs on April 27 with Darrah's sisters, Maddie and Chloe. They have raised more than £12,000 for the charity so far. Vince said: 'The idea came from a few beers and a bit of emotion – obviously, the London Marathon is on TV every year and was on just after the girls had been born.' Darrah added: 'I'm so proud of them all, it's amazing – Vince gets up at 5am to run, then still goes off to work and helps me with the girls.' Vince, Chloe, and Maddie have been preparing for months with training sessions of 5-10km during the week and a 20km run on Sundays in preparation. Vince said: 'It'll be such a huge achievement, and we all just want to raise awareness and money for the charity and the condition.' To donate to the family's JustGiving page, visit:
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Parents raising money to build track in honor of Tellico Plains champion runner
TELLICO PLAINS, Tenn. (WATE) — Nearly three months after a Tellico Plains High School senior was killed in a crash, her parents are working to keep her memory alive. Darrah Wiseman was killed in a crash on November 2 in Loudon County. She was a standout track and cross country runner, winning six state championship titles. She qualified for state the week before she died and was committed to run at Tennessee Tech. Hartford community continues to clean up after Hurricane Helene Darrah's parents, Melissa and Chris Wiseman, are now raising money to build a track in her honor. 'Trying to create her legacy and give back what she gave to the community has been what's kind of gotten me through some days,' Chris said. Melissa added, 'There's been a tremendous outpouring of support.' Darrah was dedicated to her training, despite not having a track at her school or anywhere in Monroe County. 'She won six state championships and never even had a track to practice on, so we would have to drive for an hour somewhere to go practice on a track. So people said, 'Hey, there's a need there,'' Chris said. Bodycam footage to be released following man's death in Knox County custody Her parents want to raise $577,000 to build the track. Head Coach Mitchel Witt said it would be a gamechanger. 'Oh my goodness gracious, we would actually have a place to run that would be like a track that we would go to for a meet. I could have a kid run a 400, a true 400, instead of having something marked out on the football field. I could have them have a starting line and a finish line, that would be what they would see in a race,' he said. Encouraging the younger generation of runners is something Darrah did before and after her death. Her parents hope this track will be part of that. 'It's something that she put her heart and life into,' Chris said. 'She lived it. She lived track, she lived running, she lived to make herself better everyday, and I'm hoping with the inspiration that she was living, that she can inspire people to live their dreams, and to make themselves better.' McGhee Tyson Airport breaks passenger record in 2024 The Wisemans need the community's help to raise the money. They have started an online fundraiser. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
