Dragon Age: The Veilguard Dev BioWare Reportedly Down to Fewer Than 100 Employees Following Layoffs and Staff Exits

BioWare's workforce has reportedly shrunk to under 100 employees following recent layoffs and departures. This reduction comes after the release of Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and a company restructuring prioritizing the next Mass Effect title.

Bloomberg reported BioWare employed over 200 individuals two years ago during Dreadwolf's peak development. Last week's EA restructuring, focusing solely on Mass Effect 5, resulted in some Dreadwolf team members transferring to other EA studios. Game Developer confirmed that Dreadwolf's creative director, John Epler, moved to Full Circle's Skate project, while senior writer Sheryl Chee transitioned to Motive's Iron Man development.

This restructuring followed EA's announcement of Dreadwolf's underperformance. EA reported 1.5 million players engaged with the game, significantly below projections. Bloomberg clarified that initial staff "loans" to other EA studios are now permanent transfers, severing their BioWare affiliation. Additional employees confirmed layoffs on social media, including editor Karin West-Weekes, narrative designer Trick Weekes, editor Ryan Cormier, producer Jen Cheverie, and senior systems designer Michelle Flamm. These departures follow 2023 layoffs and the previous departure of Dreadwolf director Corinne Busche.

EA's response to inquiries regarding the impact of these changes remained vague, stating the studio is appropriately staffed for the current Mass Effect development phase. Bloomberg estimates approximately two dozen layoffs. According to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, BioWare staff consider Dreadwolf's completion a remarkable feat given EA's initial push for live-service elements, later reversed. IGN has previously documented Dreadwolf's development challenges, including layoffs and the departure of key personnel.

Concerns about the future of the Dragon Age franchise are rising among fans, prompting a former BioWare writer to declare, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now." EA assures fans 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 developing the next Mass Effect game.