The upheaval at Bioware Austin, development studio for the much hyped and underperforming The Old Republic, continues as the game’s lead designer has announced he has left the company. Daniel Erickson is currently looking for employment elsewhere

While a lead designer of an massively multiplayer online game isn’t especially unusual, one has to wonder if the troubles of The Old Republic factored heavily into Erickson’s decision. The Star Wars themed MMO launched to much fanfare and high expectations, but rapidly hemorrhaging subscriber numbers have dealt a blow to Bioware Austin. Earlier this year, the studio was hit hard by employee layoffs.