Former BioWare Dev Reassures: 'Dragon Age Lives On Through Fans'

Following recent layoffs at BioWare, which resulted in the departure of several key developers involved with Dragon Age: The Veilguard, former series writer Sheryl Chee has stepped forward to reassure fans, stating, "DA isn't dead because it's yours now." This week, EA announced a restructuring at BioWare to focus solely on Mass Effect 5. Some developers who worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard were reassigned to other EA projects, such as John Epler, the game's creative director, who was moved to Full Circle to work on the upcoming skateboarding game Skate. However, others were laid off and are now seeking new employment opportunities.

The restructuring decision came after EA revealed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard had not met its performance expectations. The game engaged 1.5 million players during the recent financial quarter, a figure that fell nearly 50% short of EA's projections. It remains unclear whether this number represents unit sales, as Dragon Age: The Veilguard was also available through EA's Play Pro subscription service and a free trial via the EA Play subscription.

The combination of EA's announcement, the restructuring of BioWare, and the confirmation of layoffs has led to widespread concern among the Dragon Age community that the series might be nearing its end. There are no plans for DLC for The Veilguard, and BioWare's involvement with the game concluded last week with its final major update.

Amid these developments, Sheryl Chee, who transitioned from BioWare to work on Iron Man at Motive Studio, shared a message of hope on social media. Reflecting on the challenges faced over the past two years, Chee emphasized the enduring spirit of the Dragon Age community. She quoted Albert Camus, saying, "In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer," and reassured fans that the series lives on through their creativity and passion. "DA isn't dead. There's fic. There's art. There's the connections we made through the games and because of the games," Chee said, highlighting that while EA and BioWare own the IP, the true essence of Dragon Age belongs to its fans.

Chee's message resonated with fans, with one expressing intent to write an alternative universe story, which Chee celebrated as the essence of what Dragon Age represents. The series, which began with Dragon Age: Origins in 2010, followed by Dragon Age 2 in 2011 and Dragon Age: Inquisition in 2014, saw its latest installment, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, released after a decade-long wait. Former executive producer Mark Darrah, who left BioWare in 2020, disclosed that Dragon Age Inquisition had sold over 12 million copies, significantly surpassing EA's expectations.

While EA has not declared the Dragon Age series dead, the future of new games in the franchise appears uncertain given BioWare's current focus on Mass Effect 5. EA has confirmed that a dedicated team at BioWare, led by veterans from the original Mass Effect trilogy, is actively developing the next installment in that series. Despite the lack of specific numbers, EA assures that BioWare has the appropriate resources and team size for the current stage of Mass Effect's development.