As Dragon Age Fans Fear the Death of the Series, One Former BioWare Developer Offers Words of Reassurance: 'Dragon Age Isn't Dead Because It's Yours Now'

Following layoffs at BioWare impacting key Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers, a former writer offered reassurance to fans, stating, "DA isn't dead because it's yours now."

This week's EA restructuring prioritized Mass Effect 5, reassigning some Veilguard staff to other EA studios (Game Developer reported John Epler, Veilguard's creative director, joined Full Circle's Skate project). However, other developers were laid off.

This followed EA's announcement of Dragon Age: The Veilguard's underperformance. EA reported 1.5 million players during a recent quarter, significantly below projections (a near 50% shortfall). Importantly, EA didn't specify if this figure represented unit sales or included EA Play Pro subscribers and free trial participants.

Regardless, the announcement, BioWare's restructuring, and layoffs fueled fan concerns about the Dragon Age franchise's future. No DLC is planned for The Veilguard, and BioWare's work concluded last week with what appeared to be a final major update.

Sheryl Chee, a senior writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard (now at Motive working on Iron Man), offered a message of hope on social media. She acknowledged the challenging past two years but emphasized the enduring power of fan engagement. Quoting Camus, she highlighted the fans' ability to keep the series alive through fan fiction, art, and community connections. She stressed that while EA/BioWare owns the IP, the underlying ideas belong to the fans.

Chee's statement resonated with fans, inspiring creative projects. She emphasized that if Dragon Age inspires fan creations, it has fulfilled its purpose.

Dragon Age's history includes Dragon Age: Origins (2010), Dragon Age 2 (2011), and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014). The Veilguard's release marked a significant gap. In September, former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah revealed Dragon Age: Inquisition's sales exceeded EA's projections by a significant margin (over 12 million copies sold).

While EA hasn't declared Dragon Age defunct, the situation at BioWare and the focus on Mass Effect 5 makes future Dragon Age titles uncertain. EA confirmed a dedicated team at BioWare is developing Mass Effect 5, led by veterans from the original trilogy. EA assured IGN that the studio has adequate personnel for the project's current stage.