BioWare Cuts Dragon Age Team to Focus on Mass Effect

Several key developers from the Dragon Age team have announced their departure from BioWare following a company-wide restructuring that shifts focus to the next Mass Effect title.

On January 29, IGN reported that BioWare had transitioned a significant portion of its development staff to other EA projects as the studio concentrates fully on Mass Effect 5.

General manager Gary McKay explained the studio is "using this period between major development cycles to rethink our operational approach."

"At this phase of production, we don't need the entire studio's resources," McKay continued. "We're fortunate to have exceptional talent at BioWare, and over recent months we've carefully matched many team members with suitable openings across other EA divisions."

IGN has learned that EA has successfully relocated an undisclosed number of BioWare developers to comparable positions within the company. However, a smaller group of Dragon Age team members are facing role eliminations and are being given time to apply for other internal positions.

Following the announcement, multiple BioWare developers took to social media platforms to announce their exits. Editor Karin Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer for Dragon Age: The Veilguard Trick Weekes, and editor Ryan Cormier all indicated they were seeking new opportunities, with producer Jen Cheverie and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm also confirming their departures.

This follows previous layoffs at BioWare in 2023, and comes just after director Corinne Busche announced her departure from the studio last week.

When IGN pressed EA for specific numbers regarding how many BioWare employees were affected by these changes, how many faced potential layoffs, and how many remain at the studio, the company's response remained non-specific:

"The studio's primary focus was Dragon Age. Throughout this period, a separate team continued developing the vision for the next Mass Effect. Now that The Veilguard has launched, the studio's complete attention turns to Mass Effect.

"While we're not disclosing exact figures, the studio currently maintains the appropriate staffing levels in the right roles to advance Mass Effect at its current development stage."

BioWare concluded its work on Dragon Age: The Veilguard last week with what appears to be the game's final major content update.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard marked the first new installment in the fantasy RPG series in a decade, but its release generated less impact than anticipated. At launch, BioWare confirmed that Dragon Age: The Veilguard would not receive any post-launch DLC, disappointing fans who expected expansions similar to previous series entries.

Last week, EA acknowledged that Dragon Age: The Veilguard fell short of sales projections by approximately 50%; while anticipating three million players, the game attracted only 1.5 million. We've previously documented various development hurdles, including staff reductions and the exit of multiple project leads at different production phases.

Regarding Mass Effect, EA confirmed a "core team" at BioWare is developing the next installment under the guidance of veterans from the original trilogy, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, Parrish Ley, and others.