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 BioWare had reassigned numerous developers to other EA projects, focusing its resources entirely on Mass Effect 5. General manager Gary McKay explained the studio is using the period between development cycles to reassess its operational structure. He stated that the full studio's support wasn't required at this stage of Mass Effect 5's development and that many employees were successfully placed in suitable roles within other EA teams.

While an unspecified number of BioWare developers transitioned to equivalent roles within EA, some Dragon Age team members faced termination, with the option to apply for other internal positions. Several 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 impact of these changes remained vague, stating the studio is appropriately staffed for the current phase of Mass Effect development. BioWare concluded work on Dragon Age: The Veilguard last week, releasing 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 no post-launch DLC, surprising fans, and EA later admitted the game missed sales expectations by 50%, reaching only 1.5 million players instead of the projected three million. The game's development was previously documented as facing challenges including layoffs and the departure of several key personnel.

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