Following layoffs at BioWare impacting key Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers, a former writer offered reassurance to fans, stating, "DA isn't dead because it's yours now."
This week's EA restructuring prioritized Mass Effect 5, reassigning some Veilguard personnel to other EA studios (Game Developer reported John Epler, Veilguard's creative director, joined Full Circle's Skate project). However, other developers were laid off.
This followed EA's announcement of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underperformance. EA reported 1.5 million players during a recent quarter, significantly below projections (a nearly 50% shortfall). Importantly, EA didn't specify if this represented unit sales or included EA Play Pro subscribers and free trial participants.
Regardless, the announcement, BioWare's restructuring, and layoffs fueled fan concerns about the Dragon Age franchise's future. No DLC is planned for The Veilguard, and BioWare's work concluded last week with what appeared to be a final major update.
Sheryl Chee, a senior writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard (now at Motive working on Iron Man), offered a message of hope on social media:
"It's been a hard two years...But DA isn't dead. There's fan fiction, art, and the connections we forged through the games. EA/BioWare owns the IP, but you can't own an idea. DA isn't dead because it's yours now." She emphasized fan creativity as a continuation of the Dragon Age legacy.
The Dragon Age series 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 considerable challenges.
Mark Darrah, a former Dragon Age executive producer (departed BioWare in 2020), revealed that Dragon Age: Inquisition sold over 12 million copies, exceeding EA's internal projections.
While EA hasn't declared Dragon Age dead, a new game seems unlikely in the near future given BioWare's current focus on Mass Effect 5. EA assured IGN that Mass Effect 5 development has a "core team" of experienced developers from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley. EA stated the team is appropriately sized for the project's current stage, though specific numbers weren't shared.
