BioWare, the renowned game developer behind the Dragon Age and Mass Effect series, has reportedly seen its workforce shrink to fewer than 100 employees following recent layoffs and staff departures. This significant reduction comes after the release of Dragon Age: The Veilguard and a strategic shift by parent company EA to focus exclusively on the next installment of the Mass Effect franchise.
Just two years ago, BioWare boasted a team of over 200, deeply engaged in the development of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. However, the landscape has changed dramatically. Last week, EA announced a restructuring that pivoted BioWare's efforts solely to Mass Effect 5. As a result, several team members who worked on Dragon Age: The Veilguard were reassigned to other EA projects. Notably, John Epler, the creative director for Veilguard, has transitioned to work on Full Circle's upcoming skateboarding game, Skate, while senior writer Sheryl Chee has moved to Motive to contribute to the Iron Man project.
The decision to refocus came after Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet EA's sales expectations. The game reportedly engaged only 1.5 million players during its recent financial quarter, a figure that fell nearly 50% short of projections. Bloomberg has clarified that these staff reassignments are now permanent, meaning those moved to other EA studios are no longer considered BioWare employees.
In the wake of these changes, several BioWare developers have publicly announced their layoffs and are now seeking new opportunities. Among them are 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. This follows a previous round of layoffs at BioWare in 2023 and the recent departure of Dragon Age: The Veilguard director Corinne Busche.
When IGN sought detailed information from EA about the number of affected employees, potential layoffs, and the current headcount at BioWare, the response was non-committal. EA stated, "The studio's priority was Dragon Age. During this time there were people continuing to build the vision for the next Mass Effect. Now that The Veilguard has shipped, the studio's full focus is Mass Effect. While we're not sharing numbers, the studio has the right number of people in the right roles to work on Mass Effect at this stage of development."
Bloomberg reported that approximately two dozen BioWare employees were impacted by the latest layoffs. Jason Schreier, the author of the Bloomberg report, noted that BioWare staff considered it a "miracle" that Dragon Age: The Veilguard was released as a complete game, given the challenges of integrating and then abandoning live-service elements under EA's direction. IGN has previously covered some of the development hurdles faced by Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including earlier layoffs and the exit of several key project leads.
Amidst concerns about the future of the Dragon Age series, a former BioWare writer offered reassurance to fans, stating, "Dragon Age isn't dead because it's yours now."
Looking ahead, EA has confirmed that a "core team" at BioWare, led by veterans from the original Mass Effect trilogy such as Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, is now focused on developing the next Mass Effect game.
