Dragon Age: The Veilguard Director Reportedly Exits BioWare

Corinne Busche, the director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, is reportedly set to leave EA-owned BioWare in the coming weeks. Eurogamer reported on her departure, which comes after her tenure as game director from February 2022 until the game's launch last year. IGN has reached out to EA for a statement on this development.

Since its release in October last year, Dragon Age: The Veilguard has faced scrutiny regarding its success. Eurogamer noted that while Busche is leaving, BioWare remains unaffected by other major changes. Busche joined BioWare in 2019, following her work at Maxis on The Sims projects. Her leadership was crucial in steering Dragon Age: The Veilguard to completion, especially during the final years of a tumultuous near-decade-long development. This journey included a significant pivot from a multiplayer framework to a fully realized single-player RPG.

Eurogamer also stated that Busche's departure is not linked to Dragon Age: The Veilguard's commercial performance. EA has yet to disclose whether the game's sales and revenue met or exceeded expectations, with the company set to announce its Q3 2025 financial results on February 4.

BioWare has confirmed that it will not be producing any DLC for Dragon Age: The Veilguard, instead focusing on the development of Mass Effect 5. This upcoming project has been teased over the years but has not been fully revealed yet.

In August 2023, around the same time as the release of Larian's highly successful Dungeons & Dragons RPG Baldur’s Gate 3, BioWare laid off approximately 50 employees, including long-time veterans like narrative designer Mary Kirby, who had been with the studio since the inception of Dragon Age.

These layoffs were part of a broader internal restructuring at EA, which resulted in the company being divided into sports and non-sports divisions. Rumors circulated within BioWare that summer about a potential acquisition, and Star Wars: The Old Republic was transitioned to a third-party service to allow BioWare to concentrate on Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard's reveal in 2024 was met with mixed reactions. The initial reveal trailer received negative feedback, prompting BioWare to quickly release an early gameplay teaser to reassure fans. The decision to rename the game from Dreadwolf to The Veilguard was also met with some resistance. However, subsequent impressions of the game were generally positive.

With Busche's departure and the studio's shift in focus, Dragon Age fans are left pondering whether BioWare will have the opportunity to develop another sequel in the series.