Former Dragon Age executive producer Mark Darrah reveals that inadequate support from EA and BioWare hindered his team during the early stages of Dragon Age: The Veilguard development.
In a recent YouTube video, the former BioWare developer shared insights into his work on the iconic fantasy RPG series, focusing on events in 2017, which he called “the most pivotal year in BioWare’s history.” He discussed decisions impacting the early development of last year’s Dragon Age title and how shifts in focus related to the final stages of Mass Effect: Andromeda’s production.
In late 2016, Darrah was reassigned to oversee the final development phase of Andromeda. He recalls the Dragon Age team feeling “abandoned” and unsupported by BioWare and EA. The plan was for Darrah to help complete Mass Effect, freeing up resources for Dragon Age, but this strategy fell short.
“This marked the first instance of leadership disruption, where a project lead was pulled to assist another project while their own continued,” Darrah said. “For Mass Effect: Andromeda, the impact on Dragon Age was minimal and brief, but it set a risky precedent. Running a project without its core leadership is highly problematic.”
Mass Effect: Andromeda launched in March 2017 to a lackluster reception, according to Darrah. Meanwhile, BioWare underwent a structural shift, reporting to new EA leadership that was intensely focused on its projects. Darrah described this change as significant, noting that EA’s new executives lost interest in Mass Effect post-launch. However, he felt Dragon Age still lacked the necessary support even after Andromeda’s release.
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3RDSee your ResultsFinish playing for your personal results or see the community’s!Continue playingSee resultsDarrah says he raised concerns with EA CEO Andrew Wilson and former EA executive Patrick Söderlund, who assured him of Dragon Age’s priority. In summer 2017, EA provided limited resources to sustain BioWare’s efforts, but Darrah and his team were blindsided by the unannounced return of studio veteran Casey Hudson.
“As the second most senior person at BioWare,” Darrah noted, “I was completely excluded from the process of interviewing and rehiring Casey. While my involvement might not have changed the outcome, bypassing me in such a significant decision showed a profound lack of respect.”
Darrah anticipated BioWare’s shift in focus to Anthem. Despite assurances from EA that Dragon Age would receive proper attention, he felt otherwise.
“That’s not what happened,” he said.
EA’s focus on Anthem intensified until its troubled 2019 launch, while Darrah’s confidence in the company was “repeatedly undermined.” Resources were steadily diverted from what became Dragon Age: The Veilguard through 2019, resulting in “fundamental” project changes.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard launched in late 2024 as BioWare’s latest major fantasy RPG. Despite critical acclaim (scoring a 9/10 in our review), EA deemed its launch disappointing in February, stating it failed to “connect with a wide enough audience.” Former BioWare developers contested this, some urging EA to emulate the approach of Baldur’s Gate 3 developer Larian Studios.
In January, many Dragon Age developers were laid off as BioWare redirected its efforts toward Mass Effect 5.
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