Following layoffs at BioWare impacting key Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers, former series writer Sheryl Chee offered reassurance to fans. This week's EA restructuring prioritized Mass Effect 5, reassigning some Veilguard staff to other EA studios—Game Developer reported creative director John Epler's move to Full Circle's Skate project—while others faced layoffs. This followed EA's announcement of The Veilguard's underperformance, reporting 1.5 million players engaged during the recent financial quarter, significantly below projections. Importantly, EA didn't specify if this figure represented unit sales or included EA Play and Play Pro subscriptions, potentially impacting the interpretation of the results.
The combination of EA's announcement, BioWare's restructuring, and confirmed layoffs fueled concerns within the Dragon Age community about the series' future. With no planned DLC for The Veilguard and BioWare's work concluding last week, the sentiment of the franchise's demise was widespread.
However, Chee, now at Motive Studios working on Iron Man, shared a message of hope on social media. She acknowledged the challenging two years, team attrition, and the ongoing uncertainty. Responding to a fan expressing concern over Dragon Age's future, Chee cited Camus, emphasizing the enduring power of fan creativity. She stated that while EA/BioWare owns the IP, the core ideas and spirit of Dragon Age reside with the fans, urging them to continue creating fan fiction, art, and community engagement. She highlighted fan-created content as a continuation of the series' legacy.
The Dragon Age franchise began with 2010's Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 (2011) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014). The Veilguard, released a decade later, faced significant challenges. In September, former executive producer Mark Darrah revealed Inquisition's sales significantly exceeded EA's internal projections, selling over 12 million copies.
While EA hasn't officially declared Dragon Age dead, the future of the series remains uncertain given BioWare's restructuring and the studio's complete focus on Mass Effect 5. EA assured IGN that a dedicated core team at BioWare, including veterans from the original trilogy, is developing the next Mass Effect game. While specific numbers weren't disclosed, EA stated the team is adequately staffed for the current development stage.
