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 recent BioWare layoffs impacting key Dragon Age: The Veilguard developers, a former series writer offered reassurance to fans: "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 creative director John Epler's move to Full Circle's Skate project). However, other Veilguard developers were laid off.

This followed EA's announcement of Veilguard's underperformance, citing only 1.5 million engaged players in the recent financial quarter—significantly below projections (a nearly 50% shortfall). Crucially, EA didn't specify if this figure represented unit sales or included EA Play and Play Pro subscriptions, potentially impacting the actual sales figures.

The combination of EA's announcement, BioWare's restructuring, and confirmed layoffs fueled fan concerns about the Dragon Age franchise's future. With no planned DLC for The Veilguard and development concluding last week, the series' fate seemed sealed.

However, Sheryl Chee, a former senior writer on Dragon Age: The Veilguard (now working on Iron Man at Motive), offered a message of hope on social media. She acknowledged the difficult past two years, but emphasized the enduring power of fan engagement. Quoting Camus, she highlighted the resilience of the fanbase and asserted that while EA/BioWare owns the IP, they can't own the ideas and creative energy inspired by the series. She encouraged fan creations—fan fiction, art, and community engagement—as a way to keep the spirit of Dragon Age alive.

Dragon Age, launched in 2010 with Dragon Age: Origins, followed by Dragon Age 2 (2011) and Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014), saw a significant gap before The Veilguard's release. In contrast to Veilguard's performance, former executive producer Mark Darrah revealed in September that Dragon Age: Inquisition sold over 12 million copies, exceeding EA's internal projections.

While EA hasn't officially declared Dragon Age dead, the situation at BioWare and the complete focus on Mass Effect 5 makes a new Dragon Age game seem unlikely in the near future. Regarding Mass Effect 5, EA assured IGN that a dedicated core team at BioWare, led by veterans of the original trilogy, is working on the project. They refrained from disclosing specific numbers but stated the team is adequately staffed for the current development phase.