Dragon Age: The Veilguard Director Reportedly Exits BioWare

Corinne Busche, the director of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, is reportedly leaving BioWare, an EA-owned studio. Eurogamer reports her departure, expected in the coming weeks, follows the game's launch last October. While questions remain about The Veilguard's commercial success, Eurogamer states Busche's exit is unrelated to its performance. EA is expected to release its Q3 2025 financial results on February 4th, providing further clarity. BioWare has confirmed no DLC is planned for The Veilguard, shifting focus to Mass Effect 5.

Busche joined BioWare in 2019 after working on various Sims projects at Maxis. Her role in guiding The Veilguard to completion, following a significant development reset, was crucial. This reset saw the project transition from a multiplayer game concept to a single-player RPG. The game's development spanned nearly a decade, a tumultuous journey detailed in IGN's article, "How BioWare Finally Got Dragon Age to the Finish Line After a Tumultuous Decade."

Busche's departure follows a period of upheaval at BioWare. In August 2023, around 50 employees were laid off, including veteran narrative designer Mary Kirby. This coincided with an EA restructuring and rumors of potential BioWare acquisition. The decision to transition Star Wars: The Old Republic to a third-party publisher was also made around this time, ostensibly to allow BioWare to concentrate on Mass Effect and Dragon Age.

The reveal of Dragon Age: The Veilguard in 2024 initially faced negative reactions, prompting BioWare to quickly release early gameplay footage. The name change from Dreadwolf also drew criticism. Despite initial setbacks, later impressions of the game were generally positive.

The future of the Dragon Age franchise remains uncertain. Fans now await word on whether BioWare will be given the opportunity to develop a sequel to The Veilguard.