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 focused on the next Mass Effect game. IGN reported on January 29th that BioWare had reassigned numerous developers to other EA projects, leaving the studio to concentrate solely on Mass Effect 5. General manager Gary McKay explained this as an opportunity to "reimagine how we work" between development cycles, stating that the full studio's support wasn't needed for the current phase of Mass Effect development. McKay confirmed that many employees were successfully placed in other suitable roles within EA. However, 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 number of impacted employees was vague, stating that the studio is appropriately staffed for the current Mass Effect development phase. They confirmed that the studio's focus has shifted entirely to Mass Effect following the completion of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which concluded last week with what appeared to be its final major update.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard, the first new game in the series in a decade, underperformed significantly, failing to meet sales expectations by 50%, reaching only 1.5 million players instead of the projected three million. BioWare's announcement that no post-launch DLC was planned further disappointed fans. The game's development was previously hampered by layoffs and the departure of several key personnel.

EA confirmed that a core team of Mass Effect veterans, including Mike Gamble, Preston Watamaniuk, Derek Watts, and Parrish Ley, are leading the development of the next Mass Effect game.