Dragon Age Developers Reveal They’ve Been Laid Off After BioWare Puts ‘Full Focus’ on Mass Effect

Key Dragon Age developers have announced their departure from BioWare following a studio restructuring that prioritizes the development of the next Mass Effect game. On January 29th, IGN reported that BioWare had reassigned numerous developers to other EA projects, focusing its resources entirely on Mass Effect 5. General manager Gary McKay explained that this realignment, occurring between development cycles, allows BioWare to "reimagine how we work." He stated that the full studio's support wasn't needed for the current phase of Mass Effect development and that many employees were successfully placed in suitable roles within EA.

While some BioWare developers transitioned to equivalent positions within EA, a smaller number of Dragon Age team members faced termination, with the option to apply for other internal roles. Several prominent BioWare developers subsequently announced their departure on social media, including editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer and lead writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm. These departures follow 2023 layoffs and the recent departure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.

EA's response to inquiries regarding the number of employees affected by these changes remained vague, stating only that the studio is appropriately staffed for the current stage of Mass Effect development. BioWare's work on Dragon Age: The Veilguard concluded last week with what appeared to be its final major update. The game, the first new entry in the fantasy RPG series in a decade, launched with underwhelming results. BioWare confirmed the absence of post-launch DLC, disappointing fans, and EA later admitted that Dragon Age: The Veilguard missed sales expectations by a significant 50%, achieving only 1.5 million players instead of the projected three million. The game's development was previously marked by challenges including layoffs and the departure of several key project leads.

EA confirmed that a core team at BioWare, led by veterans from the original Mass Effect trilogy including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, is now fully focused on developing the next Mass Effect game.